


The Misadventures of the Beagle Line

by minniemoments



Series: TMotBL-verse [1]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Not K-Pop Idols, Angst, Boys Kissing, Chanyeol is everyone's boyfriend, Fluff, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Jongdae is everyone's fave, M/M, Mentioned Kim Joonmyun | Suho, Minor Kim Jongin | Kai/Park Chanyeol, Minseok is a fuckboy, Sehun's a flirt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-22
Updated: 2018-05-05
Packaged: 2019-04-26 13:37:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 26,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14403261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/minniemoments/pseuds/minniemoments
Summary: Baekhyun, Jongdae, and Chanyeol are best friends in college.





	1. the most terrifying five minutes of my life -bbh

**Author's Note:**

> The setting for this story is inspired by the Seattle area (Washington state). The Beagle Line (and company) attend University of Washington. The Beagle Line live in [Elm Hall](https://hfs.uw.edu/Live/Housing-Locations/Elm-Hall). It can be assumed that their parents are second-generation immigrants.

**Beagle Line ◖⚆ᴥ⚆◗**

  
2:06p

  
bbh: omg, dae! u won’t believe this…  
kjd: what is it, baek?  
bbh: so it just so happens that ur fave hyung is free this weekend (*^▽^*)  
pcy: baekkie counts as a hyung?  
kjd: psshhhh, not to me  
bbh: (҂ `з´ ) rude!  
kjd: baek, ur literally like 4 months older. chill ┐( ˘_˘)┌  
kjd: anyways why would i care if you’re free?  
pcy: ooh burn, baekkie  
bbh: don’t do that, yeol  
pcy: (╥_╥)  
bbh: bcuz u have the exclusive chance to hop on this d-  
bbh: asdffjkdchg  
bbh: lkdshfhjdfg  
kjd: ???  
kjd: baek?  
pcy: ( •᷄⌓•᷅ )

  
**Minnie-hyung ♡**

  
2:14p

  
kms: jongdae *:･ﾟ✧  
kjd: mmm?  
kms: go on a date with your hyung this weekend ~  
kjd: ah, me? (๑•́ ω •̀๑)  
kms: yes you, silly ♡  
kjd: heh, right ⁄(⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)⁄  
kjd: i’d be happy to go, hyung  
kms: you’re too cute, dae. i’ll snag you from your room around noon this saturday, okay?  
kjd: okay, but where are we going, hyung?  
kms: it’s a surprise ~

  
**Beagle Line ◖⚆ᴥ⚆◗**

  
2:17p

  
kjd: guess what ≧ω≦  
pcy: what? ლ(ಠ_ಠლ)  
kjd: channie, love you, but please don’t use that kaomoji again  
pcy: ur so picky, dae, but ok  
pcy: anyways what’s your news  
bbh: u fukrs!  
bbh: fucers!  
bbh: fuckers!  
kjd: troubles typing, baek?  
bbh: fuck off, dae  
bbh: i can’t believe y’all didn’t look for me!  
bbh: i could have been kidnapped!  
bbh: they would have whored me out  
bbh: and got me addicted to heroin so i wouldn’t give them any trouble  
pcy: baekkie, that seems unlikely  
kjd: you’re really underestimating how annoying you are  
kjd: no one’s gonna kidnap you  
bbh: it could happen!

  
_kjd sent an image_

pcy: (*≧▽≦)ﾉｼ))  
bbh: y’all some unfaithful hoes  
bbh: but allow me to tell you the story of the most terrifying five minutes of my life  
kjd: whoa, whoa  
kjd: no fair, i was about to tell news  
pcy: yea, baek, wait ur turn  
kjd: thanks, channie ♡  
pcy: (づ￣ ³￣)づ  
bbh: if u flirts wanna get on with it  
kjd: shut up, baek  
kjd: so like i was saying before  
kjd: minnie-hyung asked me to go on a date with him this saturday  
pcy: aw, that’s so cute, dae

  
_pcy sent an image_

  
bbh: unbelievable  
kjd: ???  
bbh: 1st off, “minnie-hyung”?  
kjd: ⁄(⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)⁄  
bbh: 2nd off, how dare minseok-hyung  
kjd: ??????  
pcy: ??????????????  
kjd: ?????????????????????  
bbh: i was supposed to be taking you on a date this weekend, dae  
bbh: (︶︹︺)  
pcy: plot twist ~  
kjd: ahahahahahahahahaha  
kjd: ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha  
kjd: baek, ur kidding  
bbh: show your hyung some respect, dae!  
pcy: baekkie, we’re all the same age  
bbh: i’ve got months on both of you!  
pcy: listen to yourself  
bbh: fine  
bbh: resent my months  
kjd: none of us do, baek  
bbh: anyways, i’m serious  
bbh: i was just about to ask you out  
bbh: and then it happened…  
bbh: … the most terrifying five minutes of my life  
pcy: (;╹⌓╹)  
bbh: there i was  
bbh: sitting in my room, texting you two  
bbh: and then…  
bbh: OUT OF NOWHERE  
bbh: minseok-hyung opens my door!  
bbh: he asks me, “baekhyun, what are you up to?”  
bbh: i was in such a state of shock. hadn’t i locked the door? how did he get in? was i in the twilight zone?  
bbh: he kept grilling me  
bbh: asking the real hard questions like  
bbh: “what are you telling jongdae he can hop on?”  
bbh: and “where are your pants?”  
bbh: and i ask u two gentle souls  
bbh: is a man not allowed to be pantless anymore?  
bbh: well i tried to stammer about for a reply, but minseok-hyung had jumped to his own conclusions  
bbh: he looked at me with that look of his  
bbh: and then slowly asked me  
bbh: “are you about to send a dick pic to jongdae?”  
bbh: i could hardly believe my ears!  
bbh: ME!  
bbh: BYUN BAEKHYUN!  
bbh: DICK PIC!  
bbh: minseok-hyung scolded me to no end, snatching my phone while i was still texting, insisting i listen to his tirade about the basic manners our society must have  
bbh: i barely escaped with my LIFE  
pcy: …  
kjd: …  
bbh: shocked? i know  
pcy: baek, you should really write a book one day  
pcy: i mean the way you can spout bullshit is a gift  
bbh: ! u insult me, yeol!  
kjd: wait…  
kjd: i just looked back at what u sent before  
kjd: were you about to say i could hop on ur dick?  
bbh: … maybe…  
pcy: were u gonna send a dick pic too?  
pcy: that’s just nasty, baek  
pcy: i mean c’mon, this is a group chat  
bbh: I WAS JUST IN MY UNDERWEAR  
bbh: jesus fcking christ who said anything about dick pics  
kjd: you…?  
pcy: yea, like two minutes ago when you were describing “the most terrifying five minutes of your life”  
kjd: lol yea he did say that huh?  
pcy: lol  
bbh: u know what? fuck y’all  
bbh: i’m going where i’m appreciated  
kjd: which is…?  
bbh: jkdjjfsalkjdfs  
bbh: don’t forget to swallow minseok-hyung’s cum, dae  
kjd: !!! (⁎˃ᆺ˂)  
pcy: don’t listen to baekkie, dae  
kjd: thanks, channie  
pcy: i think minseok-hyung would probably cum on your face anyways  
kjd: both of you can go fuck yourselves sideways


	2. they’re probably going to a museum tbh -pcy

**Beagle Line ◖⚆ᴥ⚆◗**

 

11:37a

 

pcy: hope you have fun, dae ~  
kjd: ヽ(^◇^*)/  
kjd: thanks, channie ♡  
bbh: have fun, dae  
pcy: crikey, ladies and gents  
pcy: here we see a rare show of selflessness from the ever mysterious byun baekhyun  
pcy: this has only been known to happen once every 80 years  
bbh: 1. i was born in ‘92  
bbh: 2. I am perfectly capable of behaving selflessly. On this particular matter I wish nothing but the best for my good friend Kim Jongdae. The insinuation that I would be nothing short of supportive is an attack on my character and it wounds me to hear you not only be astounded but to have a laugh at my expense. The tired joke that I am always vying for the spotlight and unable to share it must stop here. It must stop now.  
pcy: wow baekkie  
pcy: i’m still kinda reading bcuz i’m not used to seeing good grammar in this group chat  
kjd: tl;dr ver is that we should cut him some slack  
pcy: thanks, dae  
pcy: sorry, baekkie  
pcy: ur a selfless soul indeed  
bbh: thnc u yeol  
kjd: how did u misspell thank you so badly??  
bbh: not all of us r wrkng on mastrs degreqes!  
pcy: baek, that’s just carelessness  
pcy: put autocorrect back on  
pcy: we may not capitalize, but we have the decency to spell things correctly here  
kjd: yea, do u need a dictionary or something?  
bbh: y’know normally i’d tell y’all to shove it wear the sun don’t shine  
pcy: … but?  
bbh: but nothing  
kjd: ***where, not wear  
bbh: kdjflsja  
bbh: go ride off into the sunset with minseok-hyung  
kjd: (･´з`･)ゞ  
bbh: ( ˘ ³˘)❤  
pcy: (∩˃o˂∩)♡  


 

* * *

 

 

_Knock knock._

“Jongdae,” calls Minseok.

Minseok frowns at the door, confused at the lack of a response. He takes a look at his watch - it’s 11:55a. He knocks harder, then presses his ear to the door. There’s a loud _thump_ and Minseok’s heartbeat quickens as he tries to figure out what’s going on.

Suddenly the door opens and a slightly flushed Jongdae is staring back at him.

“Hi,” says Jongdae, mildly out of breath.

“Hi,” says Minseok cautiously, “What was that sound a moment ago?”

“I kind of fell.”

“Fell?”

“Fell.”

“Because…?”

“Your knock scared me,” Jongdae states, embarrassed.

Minseok looks at Jongdae with raised eyebrows, then at his hand for a moment before silently asking “Me?”

“Yes, you, hyung! I was listening to music and then all of the sudden there’s this loud knocking.”

Minseok shakes his head, smiling in amusement at the whole thing. He grabs one of Jongdae’s hands and tells him “C’mon, Dae.”

 

* * *

 

 

**Yeol, My Ride or Die ★**

12:02p

bbh: yeol, i’m worried about our baby  
pcy: our baby?  
bbh: dae!  
pcy: baek  
pcy: u might be overreacting just a bit  
bbh: oh sure  
bbh: ME  
bbh: OVERREACT  
pcy: allow me to remind you of these words  
pcy: “the most terrifying five minutes of my life”  
bbh: you haven’t seen the things i’ve seen!  
bbh: okay, you’re right  
bbh: i gotta chill just a little  
bbh: but dae is so innocent  
pcy: dae?  
pcy: kim jongdae?  
pcy: our esteemed bro and friend, kim jongdae????  
bbh: yes, yeol  
bbh: jeez chill with the drama  
pcy: baek  
bbh: okay, irony duly noted  
bbh: sweet baby dae  
pcy: i’m gagging  
pcy: besides it’s just minnie-hyung  
pcy: they’re probably going to a museum tbh  
bbh: SINCE WHEN DO ANY OF US CALL MINSEOK-HYUNG THAT  
pcy: ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯  


 

* * *

 

They barely catch the subway. Minseok lets out a _phew_ when the two of them are safely inside the car. Jongdae is breathing just as heavy, his red cheeks are partly because they just sprinted down two flights of stairs and partly because Minseok was still holding his hand.

“There’s a couple of seats over there. Let’s sit,” points out Minseok.

Jongdae nods quickly and Minseok guides the two of them to the other end of the car. An older lady looks at them curiously, but otherwise pays them no mind. There’s only a couple of other people in their car - a man and a little girl that’s probably his daughter.

“Why is this car so empty?” whispers Jongdae.

“Almost everyone in this area is at that spring festival in town today. These are probably just locals that are trying to run some errands or something.”

“Oh, I forgot about that. But hold on, hyung, you still haven’t said where we’re going.”

Minseok smiles and winks at Jongdae, insisting that he be patient just a little longer.

~

Jongdae doesn’t have to wait too long. After about ten minutes, Minseok is tapping his shoulder and telling him that this is their stop. Jongdae doesn’t recall having ever gotten off at this stop before, which is unfortunate because he still has no idea where they’re going.

The air is cool outside and flowers decorate the otherwise concrete landscape. Most of the buildings look like houses or apartment complexes. There are a few cafes and businesses that seem familiar, probably chains he’s remembering from another area.

“Still not gonna tell me where we’re going, hyung?”

Minseok just shakes his head and gestures for Jongdae to follow him to wherever they’re going. Jongdae sighs and obeys the silent request.

 

* * *

 

 

**Beagle Line ◖⚆ᴥ⚆◗**

 

5:48p

 

kjd: hiii ~  
pcy: ooh, that’s the flirty hi  
pcy: i’m guessing the date went well?  
bbh: yea, dae, are you expecting twins after a *:･ﾟ✧perfect*:･ﾟ✧ afternoon with *:･ﾟ✧“minnie-hyung”*:･ﾟ✧  


_kjd sent an image_

__

kjd: yes the date went well (｡･ω･｡)  
kjd: we went to the museum  
bbh: ur kidding  
pcy: you owe me $10, baek  
bbh: damn it  
kjd: y’all bet on if we’d go to the museum???  
pcy: ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯  
bbh: ＼| ￣ヘ￣|／  
kjd: whatever  
kjd: anyways yes we went to the museum and then had ice cream together then came back to the dorms the end  
bbh: oh no no no  
bbh: there’s gotta be more than that  
pcy: yea, dae, c’mon  
kjd: ┐( ˘_˘)┌  
bbh: DAE I SWEAR TO FUCK  
bbh: like did he kiss u??? did he hold ur hand??? don’t torture me like this sfjdklf  
kjd: okay, i’ll tell, but y’all have to promise not to laugh  
pcy: scouts honor  
bbh: yea ditto on that  
kjd: so…  
kjd: he was about to kiss me, but then…  
pcy: then…  
kjd: i ducked  
bbh: u what?  
kjd: i ducked  
pcy: i don’t think i understand you  
kjd: I FUCKING DUCKED, OKAY???  
bbh: but then you kissed him  
kjd: no! i told him about how i really need to start on this term paper and hugged him goodbye!  
bbh: YOU JUST SAID THE DATE WENT WELL WHAT THE FUCK  
kjd: it did!  
pcy: Merriam-Webster defines the adverb “well” as “in a good or proper manner” or “satisfactorily with respect to conduct or action”.  
bbh: yeol just dropped education on your ass, dae  
bbh: IN WHAT FUCKING WORLD DID THAT GO WELL  
kjd: djjdflksfhjkdf  
kjd: it did go well!  
kjd: just not that part  


_pcy sent an image_

kjd: okay but srsly guys  
kjd: like i had such a great time  
kjd: i just happened to duck at the end  
bbh: my sweet misguided baby  
pcy: baek, i’m surprised you wanted them to kiss???  
pcy: weren’t you just about to ask dae out like four days ago?  
bbh: okay 1st off, it was yesterday  
bbh: and 2nd off, i can multitask  
kjd: y’know that lists are supposed to have at least 3 points  
bbh: you know that a date that ends well ends with a kiss  
kjd: shdfkhsakjfhd  
kjd: i can’t deal with u  
pcy: dae don’t listen to him!  
pcy: sometimes kisses are just a hard thing to do  
pcy: no shame  
kjd: ♡  
pcy: ♡  
bbh: OKAY SO U CAN BASICALLY SHOVE UR TONGUE DOWN YEOL’S THROAT WHENEVER HE SAYS SOME SUPPORTIVE SHIT  
bbh: BUT WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR PRECIOUS “MINNIE-HYUNG”  
bbh: U CHICKEN OUT??????  
pcy: shoving his tongue down my throat is kind of an exaggeration  
kjd: yea, baek  
kjd: besides channie is just so sweet ~  
pcy: (づ￣ ³￣)づ  
bbh: excuse me, i was busy throwing up  
bbh: anyways, when are you seeing him again, dae?  
kjd: uh…  
bbh: you didn’t set a second date?  
kjd: ●﹏●  
bbh: it’s okay, babe  
bbh: i’m sure minnie-hyung is gonna text you soon enough  
pcy: did u just say minnie-hyung unironically?  
bbh: hush, yeol  
bbh: dae?  
kjd: (๑◕︵◕๑)  


 

* * *

 

 

Baekhyun pockets his phone and grabs his dorm key, then jets out of the room. He hears the door close with a _click_ as he punches the elevator “Down” button. _Great job, Byun. Now Dae is filled with self-doubt because of your teasing._

The elevator appears with a _ding_ and he steps in quickly, pressing the number for Dae’s floor. No new messages on his phone.

“C’mon, c’mon, c’mon…” he mumbles to himself.

Finally the elevator stops and the doors open. Dae’s room is only a few doors down. _Knockknockknockknockknock_.

“It’s open!” Jongdae calls out, but his voice is off. The tone is all forced.

Baekhyun lets himself in, careful to close the door softly. Jongdae is on his bed, face smushed into the pillow. Baekhyun walks over to the bed and Jongdae hears the springs _creak_ under the change in weight.

Baekhyun maneuvers Jongdae so that he’s hugged to Baekhyun’s side, his head lying on Baekhyun’s chest. Jongdae sighs when Baekhyun starts stroking his hair.

“You okay?”

“Yeah.”


	3. friends? no, i have no friends -pcy

When Jongdae wakes up, the room is dark. Moonlight creeps in through his window from where he forgot to close the curtains. _What time is it?_ The alarm clock on his nightstand reads 1:14a. There’s a crick in his neck and he dimly registers that there’s an arm around his chest and a leg between his. He scrunches his eyebrows in confusion, trying to remember what happened.

 _Oh. It’s Baek,_ he realizes.

“Baek,” he says sleepily, trying to turn around. He can’t. Baekhyun’s arm just gets tighter around him.

“Baek,” he tries again, a slight whine in his voice. He tries wiggling around, moving an elbow backwards unintentionally.

“ _Umph!”_

The arm on his chest is gone and Baekhyun disentangles their legs, a hand rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

“Why the elbow, Dae?” says Baekhyun, perturbed at the rude awakening.

“Sorry…” Jongdae apologizes, rubbing Baekhyun’s stomach to emphasize his point, “but you were cuddling the hell out of me!”

Baekhyun squints at him and puts his hands in the air, not getting why it’s an issue.

“I can’t sleep when I’m being cuddled. You know that,” explains Jongdae.

“My bad, Dae,” replies Baekhyun, “Technically I didn’t mean to cuddle you. Or sleep here for that matter. What time is it anyways?”

“Point taken. It’s 1:20a.”

“Wait… My cuddling was so bad that you woke up at 1a? You woke _me_ up at 1a?” Baekhyun asks, eyebrow raised.

“Not the exact words I’d use…”

“And let me guess, you want me to go sleep in my own bed now?”

Jongdae nods sheepishly, mumbling an “If you could…”

Baekhyun shakes his head in disbelief, but smiles fondly at Dae regardless.

“As you wish,” says Baekhyun. His tone has none of its usual fight in it.

Baekhyun shifts to get off the bed and grabs his phone and key from Jongdae’s desk. He leaves out of the room with a small “G’night, Dae”.

 

* * *

 

 **Beagle Line ◖⚆ᴥ⚆◗**  

9:32a 

pcy: dae?  
pcy: baek? 

9:45a 

pcy: y’all, c’mon  
pcy: look at your damn phones  
pcy: ●︿● 

10:03a 

pcy: kim jongdae and byun baekhyun? oh no i’ve never met these two  
pcy: friends? no, i have no friends  
pcy: those jongdae and baekhyun guys sound like dicks  
pcy: so glad  
pcy: that i don’t have dicks for friends  
pcy: OH WAIT  
bbh: yeol, chill, you know you my ride or die  
bbh: sorry for the late reply  
bbh: some of us were still  
bbh: y’know  
bbh: SLEEPING 

_bbh sent an image_

__

kjd: what’d i miss?  
bbh: yeol is disowning us as friends  
pcy: y’all stood me up!  
kjd: ???11???1?  
bbh: i mean yeol ur great, fantastic, sexy even, but i just don’t think of u in that way  
pcy: uh… right back at ya baekkie  
pcy: but i meant our study session!  
pcy: i’ve been in the library since 9:15a waiting for y’all!  
bbh: does the library even open that early  
kjd: yea, i think operating hours are 9a to 6p on the weekends now  
bbh: wow, that’s courteous of them tbh  
bbh: most libraries have significantly reduced hours on the weekends to save money on staffing and due to low foot-traffic  
kjd: must be a funding boost  
bbh: must be 

_pcy sent an image_

__

kjd: sorry, chan-chan ♡  
pcy: ♡  
pcy: wait, i’m mad at you too, dae!  
pcy: no ♡ for u  
kjd: (´•ω•̥`)  
bbh: ooh ur boyfriend’s mad at you dae ~  
pcy: hey leave him alone!  
pcy: anyways, what do you two have to say for yourselves?  
kjd: i’m sorry for standing you up, channie, i overslept (◕︿◕✿)  
pcy: it’s okay, dae, you had a long day yesterday  
pcy: also i didn’t mean it  
pcy: u always get hearts ♡♡♡  
kjd: ♡♡♡ ( *’ω’* )  
bbh: i’m sorry, yeollie, i swear i wouldn’t purposely do that to u, you know i love you  
pcy: u should invest in an alarm clock, baek  
pcy: commitments are important  
bbh: askdljf  
bbh: oh sorry totes forgot that i’m not ur boy toy and husband of 13 years park jongdae  
kjd: that has a nice ring to it ~  
pcy: i was just about to say the same thing dae

_kjd sent an image_

__

_pcy sent an image_

__

bbh: are u two done?  
kjd: i guess  
pcy: for now  
pcy: and i’m just messing with u baekkie  
pcy: of course i accept ur apology  
bbh: ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ♡  
pcy: ♡  
kjd: are we still gonna study? it’s like almost 10:30a  
bbh: well i don’t wanna fail, so…  
kjd: retweet  
pcy: i’ve got notecards, lecture slides, the works.  
pcy: just get ur heinies down here  
kjd: be there in 15 ~  
bbh: same  
bbh: thanks yeol for being so forgiving

_bbh sent an image_

 

 

* * *

 

**Baek ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ**

10:35a

kjd: hey, baek, i’m gonna bring bagels since we stood up channie  
bbh: okay we’re using the term “stood up” a bit too liberally here  
bbh: but yea that sounds good  
bbh: want me to bring something?  
kjd: could you bring coffee?  
bbh: wouldn’t you be able to buy coffee when you get bagels?  
kjd: yes but i can’t remember what chan-chan drinks  
bbh: ooh strike 2  
bbh: first you stand up your hubby  
bbh: then you forget his coffee order 

_kjd sent an image_

__

kjd: can u just help (*;´□`)ゞ

 

* * *

 

 _Knock knock_. Jongdae grabs his backpack and stuffs phone in his pocket. He opens the door, ready to tell whoever it is that they’ll have to come back later.

Baekhyun is leaning against the door frame, blowing a bubble with his gum. It _pops_ and there’s a smirk on his face.

“You’re so irritating. Let’s go,” says Jongdae, rolling his eyes and pushing past him.

Baekhyun shuts the door and hurries to catch up with Jongdae, nearly choking on his gum because of course Dae would decide they should take the stairs down.

~

They’ve got coffee and bagels in tow when they meet up with Chanyeol in the library. He’s sitting at a long table, arranging his notes in front of him. He’s wearing his round-rimmed glasses today instead of contacts. When he notices his friends approaching, he smiles and waves them over.

Baekhyun sets the drinks down on the end of the table that isn’t covered in astronomy notes. He takes the laptop sleeve off his shoulder and sits across from Yeol. The MacBook _hums_ softly as it turns on.

Jongdae puts the bag of bagels next to the drinks and Chanyeol pulls out a chair next to him for Dae to sit.

“Sorry, we’re late, Chan-chan,” says Jongdae.

“Yeah, but we have come with breakfast and are ready to hit the books,” says Baekhyun, bringing his fist down on Jongdae’s astronomy textbook.

“It’s cool, y’all. Besides I got stuck on the concept of extremophiles and wound up playing Super Mario Run, which reminds me - do either of you have a phone charger with you?” says Chanyeol, looking between the two.

“Here you go, Channie,” says Dae, handing Chanyeol his charger.

“The ever prepared mom,” remarks Baekhyun.

Jongdae opens his mouth to make some comeback before Chanyeol cuts him off.

“Dae, Baekkie. Please. Astronomy. Extremophiles.”

Jongdae sinks back into his seat, sticking his tongue out at Baekhyun. Baekhyun blows a kiss his way, then starts a google search for anything explaining extremophiles. Jongdae plucks up his textbook and flips to the index. Chanyeol’s sifting through his color-coded notes, trying to remember when they learned about extremophiles.

~

“Someone bend me over and fuck me,” groans Baekhyun.

A librarian dressed in a sweater vest and khakis shushes Baekhyun. His face a mixture of exasperation and disgust.

“Baekkie, could you control your mouth for a moment and not get us kicked out?” whispers Chanyeol, looking at Baekhyun, then over his shoulder.

The librarian is organizing a nearby bookshelf. He’s moving each book so that it makes an angry _fwoosh_ as it slides across the wooden shelf. He’s glaring over the rims of his glasses, which are being held in place by a thin metal chain.

“I wonder if all of them have to wear glasses…” wonders Jongdae aloud.

“Probably to make them look more authoritative,” replies Chanyeol.

“I always thought you had to have poor vision to be a librarian,” states Baekhyun with a shrug.

“That’s ridiculous, Baek.”

“Nah, he might be onto something, Dae. I mean have you ever seen a librarian without glasses?” Chanyeol says, tapping his index finger to his temple like he just solved the DaVinci code.

“Anyways, we should take a break and get some food. It’s half past noon and I think you had the last bagel, Channie,” states Jongdae.

“Dae with the great ideas. I swear if I don’t have something in my mouth soon,” whines Baekhyun all too dramatically.

Before either Jongdae or Chanyeol can scold Baekhyun, the librarian gives them a loud _Shhhhhhhhh_. Chanyeol raises an apologetic hand and Jongdae swats the top of Baekhyun’s head.

“I don’t understand why you have to be such a whore when you’re hungry,” says Jongdae in a hushed, frustrated tone.

Chanyeol shakes his head disapprovingly and starts packing his backpack. Jongdae tells Baekhyun to quit his pouting and put away his laptop while packing his own things. Baekhyun gives a small _hmphf_ and heeds Dae’s command. The look in Jongdae’s eyes are warning enough if not a little threatening.

~

The Chipotle is somewhat crowded, but Chanyeol and Baekhyun find a table near the window for them. Jongdae is carrying a tray over with their burritos, drinks, and a pile of unfolded napkins.

“Chicken for Chanyeol,” Jongdae says while handing over the burrito.

“Steak for Baek…”

“And veggie for me.”

Jongdae takes his seat across from Chanyeol and Baekhyun, distributing drinks while Chanyeol passes out napkins.

“Thanks, mom,” Baekhyun says cheekily, already unwrapping his burrito.

Jongdae kicks his shin under the table and puts his straw in his drink. He’s looking over innocently at Baekhyun, sipping his drink.

Chanyeol makes a pleased sound when he bites into his burrito, giving Jongdae a grateful thumbs up.

~

“Oh, fuck, is that Minseok-hyung?”

“You expect me to fall for that?” asks Jongdae, eyebrow raised and lips pursed.

“No, Dae. Baekkie’s not joking. I think that might be him,” says Chanyeol, eyes wide.

Jongdae balls up his empty wrapper and tosses it on the tray, refusing to turn around. They had just been talking about reasons why Minnie-hyung might not have texted him back yet. Now he’s conveniently having lunch at the same time as them in the same place? Sure.

“That’s definitely him,” Baekhyun says, somewhat shocked himself.

“It’s not funny, Baek,” Jongdae grits out, leaning across the table.

Chanyeol _huffs_ and turns Jongdae’s head so that he can see where they’ve been looking.

Jongdae whimpers when he realizes that that is indeed Minseok-hyung sitting alone at a table. He’s on his phone, absent-mindedly stirring his burrito bowl with a fork.

“Fuck, Dae. Give a guy warning before you start making sex sounds,” says Baekhyun.

Chanyeol pinches his shoulder and Baekhyun pouts, rubbing the afflicted area.

“Okay, well, I think we’ve been here long enough. Channie? You’re done? Yes? Great. Baek, you can take your drink with you. I think there’s a trash can by the do-”

“Minseok-hyung!” shouts Baekhyun, cutting off Jongdae’s nervous babbling.

“I hate you,” whispers Jongdae, sinking into his seat, desperately trying to obscure himself.

Minseok looks around before finding who called him. He smiles in recognition, then walks over, tray in one hand and the other in his pocket.

“Hey, Baekhyun. Chanyeol,” Minseok says with a nod of his head, “Did you lose something under the table, Jongdae?” asks Minseok, peering over Jongdae.

Baekhyun snickers and Chanyeol pokes him to get him be quiet. Jongdae slowly creeps up to sit properly in his seat. He’s sure he’s already blushing.

“Yep,” he says with a nervous chuckle, “I couldn’t find it though.”

“What did you lose? Maybe I could help,” offers Minseok.

“His dignity,” coughs Baekhyun.

“Nothing important,” says Jongdae quickly.

“Hyung, we’re surprised to see you here! We figured you’d be busy grading papers or something,” says Chanyeol, trying to shift attention away from Jongdae.

“We’ve all gotta take breaks, Yeol-ah,” says Minseok, “But actually I was about to head out soon. I’ve got to tutor someone soon. It was nice seeing you all though.”

Minseok waves goodbye to all of them, then goes toward the trash can to toss his leftovers. The bell above the door _tings_ , signaling his departure.

 

* * *

 

 **Minnie-hyung ♡**  

4:19p 

kms: hey, dae! i forgot to ask this sooner, but when are you free next? i really enjoyed our date ~  
kjd: hi, hyung!  
kjd: ahh… i’m not sure yet  
kjd: i’ve got so many things coming up soon (*´ω｀*)  
kjd: like a midterm everyday (｡•́︿•̀｡)  
kms: ouch, that is a lot  
kms: oh yeah, how’s your term paper coming along?  
kjd: uh, it’s coming along okay ⁄(⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)⁄  
kjd: to tell the truth, hyung, i don’t have a term paper at all  
kms: dae-yah, did you make up a term paper to avoid my kiss?  
kjd: well…  
kjd: “make up” is such a strong way of putting it  
kms: do i make you that nervous, dae?  
kjd: （；^ω^）  
kms: well good luck on your midterms, dae. let me know when you’re free. i want to have another chance to kiss you ♡

 

* * *

 

 **Beagle Line ◖⚆ᴥ⚆◗**  

4:31p 

_kjd sent an image_

__

pcy: ????  
bbh: what is it, my precious baby?  
kjd: i told you to stop calling me that  
kjd: and minnie-hyung texted me  
kjd: ⁄(⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)⁄  
pcy: okay…

_kjd sent 3 images_

__

kjd: ⁄(⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)⁄  
pcy: dammmnnnnnnnn  
pcy: minnie-hyung has moves  
bbh: i’m rating his game 4/10 tbh  
pcy: please dae is putty in his hands  
kjd: y’all!  
kjd: advice  
kjd: suggestions  
kjd: assistance in general???  
kjd: please help  
kjd: (⁎˃ᆺ˂)  
pcy: do you want to kiss him?  
kjd: of course!  
kjd: i just don’t know if i’ll be able to stay put long enough for it to happen  
pcy: i wouldn’t stress it dae  
pcy: minnie-hyung thinks it’s cute  
pcy: that probably translates into some kinks  
pcy: but anyways just go with the flow ~  
kjd: okay (´•ω•̥`)  
bbh: and if he tries to pull anything i’ll punch him in the nuts  
bbh: (◡‿◡✿)  
pcy: chill baekkie  
pcy: leave minnie-hyung’s balls alone  
bbh: i just want to protect my baby (◡‿◡✿)  
kjd: baek (｡•́︿•̀｡)  
bbh: fiiinnnnneeee  
kjd: ♡  
bbh: ♡  
pcy: ♡

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Extremophiles are a legit thing. Here's the lecture slides Chanyeol was looking at before he stopped ~
> 
> https://www.astro.umd.edu/~miller/teaching/astr380f09/slides11.pdf


	4. since you asked so sweetly ✧˖°ˈ -kms

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and the angst begins ~

**Beagle Line ◖⚆ᴥ⚆◗**

7:17a

bbh: WHO’S READY FOR THEIR ASTRONOMY MIDTERM?  
kjd: why the fuck are you so damn loud  
bbh: this is text

_kjd sent an image_

bbh: ???  
bbh: you didn’t send anything???  
bbh: how did you get the chat to say you did????  
kjd: fuck you i’m tired  
kjd: and idk  
pcy: witchcraft (‘◉⌓◉’)  
bbh: hi yeol!  
pcy: hi!  
pcy: sorry i was showering  
pcy: i’m ready for our midterm! (*•̀ᴗ•́*)و  
kjd: idk about ready, but i’ll be there  
bbh: damn you’re not even using kaomojis (・о・)  
kjd: oh am i not cute enough for you baek  
kjd: i’m investing all my energy in keeping my eyes open ~  
bbh: you’re always cute enough for me babe (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧

 

* * *

 

 _Whose idea was it for the three of them to take an 8am astronomy class anyways?_ Jongdae groans at the injustice of it all. Three years of college and he still hates mornings.

He gathers his things and heads toward the elevator, not having the energy to take the stairs. The one nice thing about mornings is that barely anyone else is up on campus.

The elevator _dings_ happily at Jongdae and for whatever reason it irritates him. Mornings are always filled with high pitched sounds like alarms and chirping birds. Even soundless things feel more abrasive in the early morning.

Jongdae sighs as the elevator makes its way down to the ground floor. He really doesn’t feel like taking this midterm, but hopefully the last minute cramming he did with Chanyeol last night would pay off.

~

It’s 7:42a when Jongdae arrives to their lecture hall. The lights are still dim, some areas not lit at all, and he feels thankful that the harsh fluorescent lighting won’t flood the room until the teaching assistant comes. There’s a handful of other students pouring over their notes and study guides. This is the sort of class where most of the students don’t start filing in until about 7:55a.

He makes his way toward Baekhyun and Chanyeol, both of them smiling when they see him. Jongdae sits down next to Baekhyun who hands him a trenta iced coffee and straw. Chanyeol explains to Baekhyun the difference between an endolith and a hypolith.

“Isn’t it that a hypolith is photosynthetic?” says Jongdae, sticking his straw in the cup.

“Yeah, that’s the easiest distinction,” replies Chanyeol.

“Mmm,” Jongdae says, punctuating the statement with a _slurp!_

“You’re so eloquent in the morning, Dae,” says Baekhyun.

Jongdae doesn’t bother to say anything, his mouth still firmly attached to the straw.

~

“Ah it took so long!” Jongdae whines loudly.

“You’re telling me!” exclaims Baekhyun, “And then the TA tells everyone in the middle of the exam,” he pauses to set his hand on his hip and scrunch his eyebrows together, “‘There was a typo on question 63 and the answer choice C is typed twice. Please double check your scantron to make sure that you bubbled the correct one.’”

“I can’t believe there were only two questions about extremophiles,” says Chanyeol, shaking his head in disbelief.

“And I bet you nailed those questions,” says Baekhyun, patting Chanyeol on the shoulder.

“I guess,” Chanyeol replies dejectedly.

“C’mon, Channie, we’ll get those chocolate chip pancakes you like from the diner,” says Jongdae, putting his arm around his waist.

 

* * *

 

 

**Minnie-hyung ♡**

1:15p

kjd: hey, minnie-hyung…   
kms: yes?  
kjd: could you please help me with this calculus II homework? (⁎˃ᆺ˂)  
kms: since you asked so sweetly ✧˖°ˈ

 

* * *

 

About fifteen minutes later, Minseok is walking into Jongdae’s room, shutting the door behind him. Jongdae is lying on his bed, a clipboard under his nose. He must have been stuck on the same problem for a while now because his pencil is in his mouth instead of in his hand. Minseok sits on Jongdae’s left side, trying to figure out what he was having issues with. His answers so far look correct.

“It’s problem #7, hyung,” Jongdae says with a pout, pencil now tapping the edge of the clipboard.

Minseok pauses for a moment, murmuring the complex equation a few times, then advises Jongdae to try using L'Hôpital's rule.

Jongdae tells him _mmm_ , then sets to work on the problem, making a few corrections according to Minseok’s guidance. For whatever reason he didn’t even think about solving the problem that way despite the instructions saying to “Use L'Hôpital's rule when appropriate.”

Jongdae works on the rest of the problems, Minseok humming his approval, but otherwise quiet. When he finishes the last of the problems, he breathes a sigh of relief and turns on his back to stretch.

“You’re the best, hyung,” Jongdae says affectionately.

“Ah, now I’m ‘hyung’. When you were texting me, I was ‘Minnie-hyung’. What happened to that cute name, Dae?” asks Minseok, leaning closer and lightly touching Jongdae’s hip. There’s a smile on Minseok’s face, but there’s a glint in his eyes. Like he’s a cat watching his prey.

“That was an accident, hyung,” Jongdae says, breath hitching when Minseok starts rubbing his thumb on his exposed hip bone. Wearing sweats might have been a mistake today.

“Y’know you can call me however you like, Dae,” says Minseok, voice barely above a whisper.

“Good to know,” replies Jongdae softly.

“I really want to kiss you, Dae… Can I?”

Jongdae nods weakly and allows Minseok to close the distance between them. It’s gentle and cautious, like Minseok wants to ease him into the feeling. Jongdae tries to change the tone of the kiss, but Minseok stops him, telling him _“Relax, Dae.”_ Minseok runs his tongue along his bottom lip and he opens up for him, letting his tongue explore his mouth.

When Minseok nips at his lip, he _whimpers_ and Minseok grips his hip tighter. He kisses along Jongdae’s jaw, neck, collarbone. He gives an experimental nip to Jongdae’s collarbone, biting harsher only when Jongdae whines for more _._ He sucks at the bite until the skin turns a reddish purple hue.

A phone starts ringing loudly with the standard Apple ringtone.

“I think that’s your phone, hyung,” says Jongdae, out of breath.

“I don’t think I care right now,” replies Minseok, nibbling on his earlobe.

“But what if,” a soft whine, “what if it’s important?”

Minseok breathes a heavy sigh and pulls away. He presses a kiss to Jongdae’s forehead before answering the offending phone call.

“Kim Minseok,” he says with all his usual professionalism.

Jongdae sits up, waiting for the phone call to conclude. Minseok is nodding to himself, saying _mhmm_ every so often, then telling the person “Okay”, his tone somewhat resigned.

“You’ve gotta go?” asks Jongdae when the phone call ends, sounding disappointed.

“I’m sorry, Dae. My professor has some grading dispute on his hands and I was the one who graded the student’s paper,” Minseok explains the situation calmly, but seems frustrated nonetheless.

“It’s okay, Minnie-hyung,” says Jongdae.

Minseok pulls him in for one last kiss, this one more chaste, then whispers “Call me that more often, Dae-yah.”

 

* * *

 

**Channie (Ｕ^ω^)**

3:37p

pcy: hey dae did you see minnie-hyung today?  
kjd: … why? (´•ω•̥`)  
pcy: bcuz i saw him on the elevator when i was on my way to see baek  
pcy: and he said he’d just seen you  
kjd: (´ω｀*)  
pcy: … did something happen…   
kjd: maybe…   
pcy: dae it’s just me  
pcy: you can tell me  
kjd: well i asked him to help me with my calc II homework  
pcy: mhmm  
kjd: and then he asked to kiss me  
pcy: (*´･o･)  
kjd: and i kind of nodded  
kjd: and then he did  
kjd: and it was really  
kjd: really  
kjd: good  
kjd: then he got a phone call  
kjd: and i said he should answer it  
kjd: then he had to go bcuz of a thing with his professor.  
kjd: (´•ω•̥`)  
pcy: wow  
pcy: how do you feel?  
kjd: idk yet ~  
kjd: i’m still processing  
kjd: he likes when i call him minnie-hyung  
pcy: i mean anyone would like you calling their name cutely  
kjd: ( *’ω’* )  
pcy: ur so cute dae  
pcy: are we telling baekkie yet?  
kjd: can we hold off for a moment?  
kjd: baek isn’t a big fan of minnie-hyung (⁎˃ᆺ˂)  
pcy: okay  
pcy: but don’t wait too long  
pcy: baekkie might not like minnie-hyung, but he wouldn’t want to miss out on this part of your life  
pcy: overprotectiveness aside  
kjd: i’ll tell him tonight  
kjd: i just need to think for a moment (´•ω•̥`)  
pcy: (づ￣ ³￣)づ  
kjd: ♡

 

* * *

 

**Baek ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ**

9:22p

kjd: hey, baekkie, can you come to my room?  
bbh: you don’t usually call me that…   
bbh: but yeah, i’ll be there in five ~

 

* * *

 

Baekhyun pulls on a pair of sweats and makes his way downstairs. Rushing over to Jongdae’s room almost feels like second nature to him. He could probably win a gold medal if it were a sport.

Baekhyun finds Jongdae sitting on his bed, knees pulled up to his chest. He looks worried about something.

“Dae?” says Baekhyun gently, taking a seat next to Jongdae, “Is something wrong?”

“I, uhm, well Minseok-hyung came to my room earlier,” Jongdae starts, nervous energy painting his words.

Baekhyun nods for him to go on.

“And he was helping me with homework. And then he started asking me about the way I call him. I guess he likes it when I call him ‘Minnie-hyung’. And well, then, then he asked to kiss me. And I didn’t know what to say, so I just nodded and then he was kissing me. But then it was over because his professor called him and it was really important I guess. Then he left,” finishes Jongdae in a rush.

He looks at Baekhyun then, waiting for a response.

Baekhyun gives Jongdae a small smile, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. He touches Jongdae’s shirt collar, moving it to the side gingerly, exposing the bruise Minseok had left.

“Did this come from him?” asks Baekhyun softly, voice far away.

Jongdae nods and Baekhyun sighs before moving the collar back into place.

“But you didn’t answer my question, Dae,” says Baekhyun, holding his gaze, “Is something wrong?”

“I- I’m not sure.”

“It seems like you’d be telling this story with a happier expression, Jongdae,” remarks Baekhyun. He’s not criticizing, just observing.

“Well…” starts Jongdae, “It’s not that I didn’t want him to kiss me. And it’s not that I didn’t like it. I did, but… I don’t know. I just feel funny.”

“Like something was missing?” offers Baekhyun.

“Yeah, that might be it…” Jongdae pondered the idea for a moment.

“You know you have the cutest pout when you’re thinking?” says Baekhyun, smiling warmly.

Jongdae giggles at the statement, shoving Baekhyun playfully.

“Ladies and gents, we’ve got a smile,” announces Baekhyun.

“Hush, you. I’m surprised you’re not…” Jongdae trails off.

“Overreacting at Minseok-hyung kissing you? And leaving a hickey no less?”

“Essentially.”

“Oh, I’m kicking his ass right after this, but right now you’re my only concern,” says Baekhyun sincerely.

Jongdae hugs Baekhyun, whispering “Thank you.” Baekhyun just holds him tight, rocking them together, whispering “Always” back.


	5. oh yea yeol looks hot in that apron -bbh

**Junmyeon-hyung ♨**

9:30a

kjm: Good morning, Chanyeol! I know this was supposed to be your day off, but Yixing called out sick. If it’s not too much trouble, I would really appreciate you coming in today.  
pcy: Good morning, hyung! I hope Yixing-hyung will feel better soon. I can come in today. What time do you need me?  
kjm: Could you be in by 10:30a?  
pcy: Sure thing.  
kjm: Great. Thanks so much!

 

* * *

 

Chanyeol showers and puts on something work appropriate - a pair of khakis and a pink button-down shirt. He searches around for his apron, sifting through the pile of clothes in the corner of his room. After tossing a few pieces of clothing around, he still can’t find it.

“Where did I leave it?” he murmurs to himself, scratching his head in thought.

The last time he worked would have been last Friday evening. He closed up the diner and biked back to the dorms. When he got to his room, Baekhyun was there, playing Killing Floor 2 on his PS4.

_“How was work, Yeol?” said Baekhyun, not looking away from the tv screen._

_“It was fine,” replied Chanyeol with a yawn, tossing his keys on the bed. They bounced and clattered to the floor. He was about to pick them up when Baekhyun shouted, “No, no, no! Fuck! Shit!”_

_The screen pans down toward Baekhyun’s character, the caption at the bottom reading “TheNotoriousBBH was eaten alive.”_

_“Zombie fuckers,” Baekhyun says vehemently, “It’s always the friggin’ Bloat, throwin’ up acid and shit while I’m trying to take down the Fleshpound.”_

_“You know you have to just use grenades on Fleshpounds. Anything else is just a waste of ammo,” explains Chanyeol._

_Baekhyun slaps a palm across his forehead, mumbling “Of course.” He picks up the controller again and selects the map he was just playing._

_“Wait… How did you even get in here?” asks Chanyeol, undoing his apron and dropping it on the ground._

_“You gave me a key.”_

_“No, I didn’t.”_

_“Okay, I copied a key. Potato, potato.”_

Chanyeol shakes off the memory, suddenly going to look under his bed. He finds his apron and his keys lying underneath a pair of dirty pants. He should really clean up his room. _I bet I could convince Dae to help. He always scolding me about my room anyways._ Chanyeol shakes the dust off the apron and heads out.

He takes the bus to the diner. It’s too chilly outside to bike and he regrets not grabbing a jacket too. He greets the bus driver, tapping his fare card to the electronic scanner.

~

When Chanyeol walks into the diner, it’s a madhouse. There’s a crabby couple camped out near the host stand. Two or three tables are teeming with dirty dishes. The bar is brimming with a boisterous bunch of businessmen. Somewhere there’s a baby bawling. Junmyeon-hyung waves wearily, willing him to come over to the bar.

“Chanyeol, thank goodness. We’re swamped right now.”

A thin, middle-aged lady _rings_ the service bell, a scowl on her face.

“I’ve been waiting for _ten_ _minutes_ for a refill on this coffee! What’s the hold up?” she cries.

Chanyeol rushes over, a smile settling on his face.

“I’m sorry about the wait, ma’am. Decaf or regular?” he asks quickly.

“Oh… Decaf, please,” replies the previously cantankerous customer, her tone shifting to something more pleasant.

Chanyeol refills the mug, carefully cleaning the rim with a red rag. The lady takes her mug, giving a small “Thank you”.

Chanyeol nods politely, then heads back over to Junmyeon, telling him he’s going to take care of some tables, then he’ll seat the couple.

“Chanyeol the customer whisperer,” praises Junmyeon.

~

It’s around 2p when business finally slows down. After the morning rush, there had been a group of twenty that came in, some sort of history convention’s luncheon, that were nothing short of demanding - asking for substitutions and for dishes to be taken back, somehow continually chugging their drinks. Thankfully they cleared out about fifteen minutes ago, leaving Chanyeol to bus five tables while Junmyeon-hyung tended to the bar.

“Chanyeol-ah, could you take over at the bar when you finish up that table? I need to review some paperwork,” calls Junmyeon.

“Okay, hyung. I’ll be there in a moment.”

There’s only two customers in the diner right now, a couple of college students sitting at the bar. They’ve already eaten and seem to be leisurely drinking and chatting. Chanyeol deposits the tub in the sink, then heads back out to the bar to make sure his customers don’t need anything.

“Everything alright?”

“Ah, yes, thank you. I was just telling my friend how great the service is here,” replies one of the guys. He looks a couple years younger than him, his face is all angles. His friend is smiling silently, seemingly the shyer of the two.

“I’m glad you’ve had such good experiences here! If you need anything, my name is Chanyeol,” he says, an easy smile on his face.

“I’m Sehun. And this is Jongin,” says Sehun.

“Nice to meet you two,” he says, then excuses himself to take care of the dishes he left in the sink.

~

He manages to get some mopping done in addition to the dishes. Junmyeon-hyung resurfaces from the back office to tell him that he can head out since Kyungsoo will be in shortly.

“Thanks again for coming in, Chanyeol.”

“Don’t worry about it, hyung. I’ll see you Friday.”

On his way out, Chanyeol is stopped by Sehun and Jongin who are still at the bar. It looks like they might be working on some sort of assignment because there are notebooks in front of them now.

“Chanyeol-hyung!” calls Sehun, “Are you leaving already?”

“Ah, yes,” replies Chanyeol slowly, not sure how to feel about the quick addition of ‘hyung’, “it’s the end of my shift. I’m going back to campus.”

“That’s too bad that such a handsome hyung is going,” Sehun laments.

Chanyeol falters at the compliment, then thanks him after regaining his composure. _This guy is really direct._ His friend, Jongin, is blushing enough for the both of them.

“Well, I work Wednesdays and Fridays, so maybe I’ll see you two again some time,” offers Chanyeol, not quite sure how to continue the conversation.

“I hope so,” says Sehun with a flirty smile.

Chanyeol clears his throat awkwardly, then says goodbye to both of them. He’s not sure, but he thinks he hears Sehun say “He has a cute butt too” to Jongin as he’s walking out.

 

* * *

 

**Beagle Line ◖⚆ᴥ⚆◗**

9:48p

bbh: yeol-ahhhhh  
bbh: where have you been  
bbh: a bitch misses ur sexy ass  
bbh: ＼(;´□｀)/  
pcy: hey baekkie  
pcy: sorry  
pcy: i was doing laundry  
bbh: all day???  
pcy: junmyeon-hyung called me in  
bbh: oh  
bbh: but today was your day off?  
bbh: we were supposed to go to the movies today ( ⁍᷄⌢̻⁍᷅ )

_pcy sent an image_

__

pcy: it slipped my mind ●︿●  
pcy: i’ll make it up to you baekkie  
pcy: are you free this weekend?  
bbh: only on sunday  
bbh: it’s okay yeollie  
bbh: actually i got a bunch of homework done after classes  
pcy: really?  
bbh: lmao no you know i procrastinate  
bbh: i binge watched this drama  
kjd: why do you bother to watch drama  
kjd: you’re like the most dramatic person i know  
pcy: hey dae ~  
kjd: hey channie ( *¯ ³¯*)♡  
bbh: oh sure steal my boyfriend dae AND shade me

_kjd sent an image_

__

kjd: how was work channie ♡  
pcy: it was kind of hectic  
pcy: yixing-hyung was sick  
kjd: ah that’s why you worked today?  
pcy: mhmm  
pcy: junmyeon calls me the customer whisperer though  
kjd: probably because you’re so friendly and handsome ~  
bbh: ~gagging~  
kjd: i doubt any customer would be unhappy with you (*^ω^*)  
pcy: ♡♡♡  
pcy: actually two of my customers were sad that i was leaving  
kjd: really?  
bbh: ????  
pcy: yeah it was a little odd  
pcy: one was flirting with me i think  
pcy: his friend was shy it was cute ~  
bbh: oh there’s no doubt about it that he was flirting with you  
pcy: how do you know???  
kjd: don’t you have to wear that apron and little chef’s cap  
pcy: yea… well only if i’m working the kitchen  
bbh: oh yea yeol looks hot in that apron

_bbh sent an image_

__

kjd: i’d let him serve me anytime ~  
bbh: he can serve me his dick ~  
pcy: okay 1. baek please chill  
pcy: 2. et tu, dae?  
pcy: 3. when did you take this???  
bbh: a good journalist never reveals his sources

_bbh sent an image_

__

kjd: that’s painfully inaccurate  
pcy: i really don’t understand this apron kink you two have  
kjd: you just look like you can take care of people  
bbh: sexually  
bbh: with ur dick  
pcy: anyways  
pcy: i guess he was flirting  
pcy: i think he said i have a cute butt to his friend

_bbh sent an image_

__

bbh: i mean i prefer dae’s but i’d give urs a pat if the opportunity presented itself  
pcy: WHEN DO YOU EVEN TAKE THESE  
kjd: why do you have these baek  
bbh: for science (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧  
kjd: why do we put up with you  
bbh: bcuz you love me (◡‿◡✿)

_pcy sent an image_

__

kjd: ooh ur boyfriend is skeptical baek  
bbh: don’t steal my jokes dae  
pcy: ANYWAYS  
pcy: their names are Sehun and Jongin  
pcy: i think they’re college students like us  
kjd: ah I know Sehun-ah  
kjd: i was in an art class with him last semester  
bbh: yea that boy’s a flirt  
bbh: Jongin i know less about  
bbh: from what Sehun’s told me  
bbh: Jongin is shy, but warms up to you when you get to know him  
bbh: he’s a dance major  
bbh: he lived in california during his childhood  
bbh: he’s also an extremely heavy sleeper  
kjd: you should switch to journalism  
pcy: yea i think you’re revealing a real talent here baek  
bbh: ah but i could never abandon  
bbh: *:･ﾟ✧ THE THEATRE *:･ﾟ✧  
pcy: …  
kjd: …  
kjd: idk how i forgot that you’re too extra and too gay to major in anything else  
bbh: i’m taking that as the compliment it is  
pcy: moving on  
pcy: has minnie-hyung contacted you since that whole grading debacle  
bbh: nice word yeol  
pcy: thank you  
kjd: no (´•ω•̥`)  
kjd: he’s probably just busy or something  
kjd: it’s only been a couple of days  
pcy: ( ´¬`)  
pcy: i don’t like the sound of this…  
bbh: me either  
bbh: he shouldn’t be treating you like this  
kjd: it’s fine guys  
kjd: i mean he’s a TA and a grad student  
bbh: i don’t give a fuck if he’s an ER doctor  
bbh: he made out with you  
bbh: the least he can do is send a text  
bbh: and it hasn’t been a couple of days  
bbh: he was in your room last Monday  
kjd: (｡•́︿•̀｡)  
pcy: have you texted him?  
kjd: (๑◕︵◕๑)  
kjd: once or twice  
bbh: i’m cutting his dick off  
pcy: baek  
bbh: oh no i’m grabbing the dullest knife i’ve got  
bbh: and i’m gonna saw that motherfucker right the fuck off  
kjd: baek stop  
kjd: i’m going to bed ~  
pcy: gnight dae  
bbh: sleep tight

 

* * *

 

**Baekkie** ♡

10:36p

pcy: baekkie  
pcy: you’ve gotta pull back a little  
bbh: he shouldn’t be treating dae like this  
pcy: i know  
pcy: but dae is the one that decides how to handle this  
pcy: not you  
bbh: minseok is going to break his heart  
bbh: i can’t just stand by!  
pcy: you’re still his younger  
pcy: so don’t get on some power trip and start dropping honorifics  
pcy: besides you know what i mean  
pcy: ever since freshman year you’ve been overprotective of dae  
pcy: and have scared off anyone you thought wasn’t good enough for him  
bbh: he can have his honorific when he earns my respect again  
bbh: if someone good enough ever came along then i’d leave him be  
bbh: but unfortunately the world is full of assholes and fuckboys  
pcy: just promise me you’ll let dae handle it this time  
pcy: you can’t threaten everyone who hurts him  
bbh: …  
bbh: fine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The diner Chanyeol works at is inspired by Cafe Solstice on Thomas St (located south of University of Washington).  
> Here are a few photo references.
> 
>  
> 
>  


	6. so when will the dismembering begin -pcy

**Minnie-hyung ♡**

6:23p

kjd: hey, minnie-hyung ~  
kjd: i’m guessing you’ve been busy these past couple of weeks…  
kjd: if i did something to upset you, could you just let me know? (´•ω•̥`)  
_ [ _ **_Read_ ** _ 9:15p] _  


 

* * *

 

 

Someone’s knocking at his door. Baekhyun pulls the comforter over his head, trying to block out the sound.  _ If I wait, they’ll go away. _

The knocking doesn’t go away.

Baekhyun groans and rolls out of the bed. He lumbers toward the door to open it.  _ Whoever this is about to get an earful. _

_ Oh. It’s Dae _ .

“Can I come in?” asks Dae softly. He’s dressed in cotton blue pajamas.

Baekhyun steps aside and gestures for him to come in. A yawn escapes him as he closes the door back. Baekhyun turns on the floor lamp by his bed, then plops down on the mattress, patting the space next to him drowsily.

“I know it’s late, Baek,” says Jongdae, taking a seat next to him.

“It’s fine, Dae,” Baekhyun says with a yawn he can’t stop. It’s 3:23a.

Jongdae chews on his bottom lip, looking guilty about waking Baekhyun up at such an unreasonable time.

“Hey,” Baekhyun says softly, turning Jongdae’s head toward him, “It’s okay. Really.”

“Okay…” replies Jongdae, still not fully convinced.

“Dae, if it wasn’t okay, I would have kicked you out.”  _ No, you wouldn’t. _

“Okay, Baek,” says Jongdae, more confident this time.

“But I’m sure you weren’t just strolling by,” says Baekhyun with a smile, “Is everything okay?”

“I can’t sleep,” Jongdae says with a sigh.

“Ah, so the natural response is to wake me up,” Baekhyun jokes.

Jongdae punches his shoulder and he laughs, telling him “Kidding!”

“Can I sleep in your room tonight?” Jongdae asks hesitantly.

Baekhyun looks at Jongdae confused, but nods that it’s okay. Jongdae shifts to the other side of the bed and settles under the covers. Baekhyun turns off the lamp and gets in bed, facing away from Jongdae.

He starts drifting off to sleep again when Jongdae whispers his name.

“Mmm?” he responds from his side of the bed.

“Can you cuddle me too?” Jongdae asks. He sounds… shy.

“I thought you can’t fall asleep that way?” questions Baekhyun, turning to face Jongdae.

“Please.”

Far be it from Byun Baekhyun to deny such a polite request. He puts an arm around Jongdae’s waist and pulls him in close so that they’re spooning.

“Is this okay?” Baekhyun asks cautiously. The whole situation is still baffling to him, but he doesn’t want to risk upsetting Jongdae. He seems so  _ soft _ when there’s something on his mind.

“Mmhmm.”

~

When Baekhyun wakes up, there’s sunshine spilling into the room. He’s awestruck to find Jongdae still asleep in his arms.  _ So that really happened last night… _

Looking at Jongdae sleeping is cute for all of about two minutes before Baekhyun realizes that he enjoyed cuddling  _ too _ much. Baekhyun slowly pulls his arm away, trying his best to not wake Jongdae by moving too quickly. He rolls over to get up, but Jongdae turns around too, his arm holding Baekhyun in place.

“Stay,” Jongdae says, voice drowsy.

“Dae…” Baekhyun starts.

“It’s okay, Baek,” replies Jongdae, “Just stay.”

“I’d love to Dae, but I’ve got  _ something _ I need to take care of.”

Jongdae kisses the nape of his neck and Baekhyun  _ shivers _ .

After a few more moments of cuddling, Jongdae lets him go, telling him “Go take care of your boner, Baek.”

~

Baekhyun carries a tray over to the booth Jongdae found, sliding into the opposite side. Jongdae collects his plate and drink from the tray, thanking Baekhyun.

“Nothing a good hyung wouldn’t do,” says Baekhyun with a wink.

“Still not calling you that,” replies Jongdae cheekily, taking a bite out of his breakfast sandwich.

Baekhyun clicks his tongue in disapproval, then starts cutting up his waffles.

They talk about tedious group projects, vindictive professors, and odd classmates. It’s nice because the three of them only have the one astronomy class together. Besides that, they only ever get to hear about each other’s stories when they’re texting or hanging out on their free days. It’s different from their freshman year when they were all rooming together and were around each other practically 24/7.

~

“So, Dae,” says Baekhyun, tone more serious than before, “When are you gonna tell me what happened last night?”

“What’s it matter, Baek?” says Jongdae, suddenly taking interest in the grain of the wood table.

“Don’t do this to me, Dae,” sighs Baekhyun, “You know bottling it up won’t solve anything.”

“How do you even know something happened?”

“Because you asked me to cuddle you to sleep. I don’t think you’ve ever explicitly asked me to cuddle you. Especially not to sleep.”

“I know I don’t  _ usually _ sleep if someone’s cuddling me.”

“Dae, that was the first time you’ve ever been able to sleep with someone cuddling you.”

“Like you were complaining,” Jongdae says tauntingly.

“Jongdae,” Baekhyun admonishes.

Jongdae sighs and tells him to hold on for a moment. He takes his phone out of his pocket and taps on the screen for a moment before handing the phone to Baekhyun.

Baekhyun reads silently, expression darkening. He passes the phone back to Jongdae.

“Is that why you couldn’t sleep?” Baekhyun asks, tone eerily composed.

Jongdae nods, his teeth worrying his bottom lip. He looks like he might cry if he has to speak.

“Let’s get out of here, Dae,” says Baekhyun lightly.

 

* * *

 

**Baek ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ**

2:27p

kjd: thanks for earlier baek  
kjd: (*´ω｀*)  
bbh: you don’t have to thank me dae ~  
kjd: ♡  
bbh: ♡  


 

* * *

 

**Beagle Line ◖⚆ᴥ⚆◗**

8:52p

_ kjd sent an image _

_ _

_ pcy sent an image _

_ _

pcy: so when will the dismembering begin  
bbh: this saturday 5p sharp   
bbh: (◡‿◡✿)  
pcy: i’ll bring the rope  
bbh: great i’m all out  
kjd: how do you run out of rope  
pcy: i don’t think you want to hear the answer to that dae  
kjd: probably not  
bbh: i swear y’all think i’m just some sex fiend  
bbh: some of us need rope for props  
bbh: y’know  
bbh: LIKE SOMEONE WHO’S A THEATER MAJOR  
kjd: ah so it was a prop for some play?  
bbh: nah it was for kinky stuff  


_ pcy sent an image _

_ _

pcy: u scar me on such a regular basis baekkie  


_ bbh sent an image _

_ _

pcy: anyways  
pcy: dae how are you holding up ~  
kjd: i’m okay  
kjd: i’m gonna delete his number  
kjd: no use in having it anyways  
pcy: i’m sorry things turned out like this dae ♡  
bbh: he’s a piece of shit  
pcy: seconded  
kjd: ~ fuckboys abound i suppose  
kjd: ah you had work today right channie?  
pcy: yea ~  
pcy: i saw sehun and jongin again  
bbh: ooh they after that good apron dick  
kjd: it sounds weird when you say it like that  
bbh: would you prefer i say daddy chanyeol  
kjd: that does fit better ~  
pcy: please don’t  
pcy: anyways apparently sehun is an art major  
bbh: i could’ve told you that  
bbh: everything about him says art major  
kjd: yea it’s pretty obvious tbh  
pcy: oh sorry i couldn’t intuit his major ヽ(ー_ー )ノ  
bbh: damn intuit is a sexy word  
kjd: it’s that women’s studies talk ~  
kjd: intuit is part of their dirty talk  
bbh: intuit  
kjd: intuit ~  
pcy: y’all  
pcy: can you stop bonding over random kinks you have about me  
pcy: intuit is literally just a word  
pcy: nothing to do with my major  
kjd: ( *’ω’* )  
bbh: ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ  
pcy: so aside from sehun being an art major  
pcy: jongin did try to talk to me this time  
kjd: try?  
bbh: ?  
bbh: do or do not there is no try  
kjd: shush  
pcy: well he said hi  
pcy: then accidentally knocked over his tea  
pcy: after i cleaned it up he started apologizing a ton and called me chanyeol-sunbaenim  
pcy: so i told him to just call me hyung  
pcy: and then he got flustered and didn’t talk anymore  
pcy: i feel like he might have a crush on me~  
kjd: he def does channie  
bbh: ooh dae ~  
bbh: you better claim your husband  
bbh: but yea he’s been affected by that apron  


_ bbh sent an image _

_ _

kjd: ooh daddy chanyeol with those broad shoulders  
bbh: pin me down daddy chanyeol ~  


_ pcy sent an image _

__

pcy: continuing my story ~  
pcy: sehun told me i look good in my apron  
pcy: and that jongin thinks so too  
bbh: daddy chanyeol ~  
kjd: sehunnie is too much sometimes  
kjd: also we should hang out tomorrow y’all  
pcy: i’m down  
bbh: ditto  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Characters & Their Majors
> 
> Byun Baekhyun: Theater/Performing Arts with a minor in Creative Writing  
> Kim Jongdae: Music Education with a minor in Mathematics  
> Park Chanyeol: Women's Studies with a minor in History  
> Oh Sehun: Visual Arts with a minor in Art History  
> Kim Jongin: Dance with a minor in Music  
> 


	7. does that make this the hoodie kink yeol -bbh

**Dae ♡♡♡**

8:20a

pcy: dae ~  
pcy: i know it’s early, but could you come to my room  
kjd: channie  
kjd: it’s saturday  
pcy: i know  
pcy: please it’s important  
pcy: i’ve got coffee for you ♡  
kjd: okay  
kjd: be there in ten ~

 

* * *

 

 _Knock knock_.

“Chan-chan, open the door,” says Jongdae. He can hear the pout on his face.

Chanyeol pauses the music he’d been listening to and jogs over to open the door. Jongdae shuffles inside. His hair is messy from sleep and he’s wearing a gray hoodie. Jongdae settles on the bed, hands stuffed in his pocket.

“What is it you needed, Channie?” asks Jongdae drowsily.

Chanyeol hands him his usual iced coffee and Jongdae starts sipping it immediately.

“It’s this assignment…” says Chanyeol bashfully. He picks up his laptop from his desk and joins Jongdae on the bed. “It’s due at noon today and I can’t figure out this last problem.”

Jongdae moves the laptop into his lap, eyebrows knitted together as he looks over the problem. It’s an algebra problem about total cost.

“You didn’t find the derivative correctly,” says Jongdae after a moment. He hands the laptop back to Chanyeol and goes back to nursing his iced coffee.

“Oh, I see what I did. Ah, I should have caught that,” says Chanyeol, fixing his mistake. After a few more moments of _ticking_ and _clicking_ , Chanyeol finishes the assignment and submits it.

The webpage tells him he got 9 out of 10 correct. The correct solutions won’t be available until a couple of days from now.

“Thanks, Dae,” Chanyeol says, closing the laptop.

“No problem, Channie. Why are you taking algebra anyways? Our astronomy class satisfies that gen-ed requirement,” Jongdae points out, yawning briefly.

“I needed another class to be full time and it was the only thing that fit,” says Chanyeol with a shrug, “Besides, it’s tiring seeing the same people in your classes all the time. The Women’s Studies department only has about 100 students and I’m pretty sure I know half of their names.”

Jongdae nods and leans against Chanyeol, head resting against his shoulder. Chanyeol smiles at the action, asking Jongdae “Do you want to take a nap?”

“No, I should wake up,” he says with a sigh, “I’m just always cold in the mornings.”

Chanyeol takes the coffee and sets it down on the floor, ignoring Jongdae’s protests, then pulls them down on to the bed. Jongdae huffs at being manhandled, but relaxes into the spooning position Chanyeol’s put them in.

“Why are you always so warm, Chan-chan?” Jongdae asks contentedly.

Chanyeol makes a slight shrugging motion and pulls Jongdae in closer.

 

* * *

 

**Baekkie ♡**

9:13a

bbh: yeollliieeeeee  
bbh: are we still on for video games this morning  
bbh: i know you’re up  
bbh: yeol-ahhh  
bbh: your phone has notifications  
bbh: from your esteemed bro

9:44a

_bbh sent an image_

__

9:50a

_pcy sent an image_

__

pcy: hey baekkie ~  
pcy: come on up  
pcy: dae and i fell asleep  
bbh: u whore  
bbh: see you soon ~

 

* * *

 

A set of keys  _clanks_ and _jingles_ , unlocking the door with a _click_. Baekhyun walks in, dressed in flannel and jeans, sipping what looks like peach tea.

Jongdae wakes up from his unintentional nap, realizing Chanyeol had moved to sit at the foot of the bed. He’s in the middle of an Overwatch battle.

“Hey, Baekkie,” says Chanyeol, eyes trained to the screen.

“Hey, Yeol. Hey, Dae,” replies Baekhyun, taking a seat on the floor, nestled between Chanyeol’s legs.

“Hey, Baek,” says Jongdae, getting up to stretch. “Wait… How do you have a key to Chanyeol’s room?”

“Why do y’all keep asking me that?” says Baekhyun bewilderedly.

“Because it’s weird,” says Jongdae slowly, trying to make sure Baekhyun understands.

“It is not!”

“It’s a little weird, Baekkie,” says Chanyeol.

“If you must know, I copied the key,” says Baekhyun indignantly, _slurping_ his tea.

“But _why_?” asks Jongdae.

“I enjoy the change of scenery.”

Chanyeol nudges Baekhyun’s head with his knee and Baekhyun turns to stick his tongue out.

“And I like using Yeollie’s PS4,” Baekhyun adds.

Jongdae shakes his head, silently judging, and tells them he’s gonna grab them food from the campus diner, grabbing Chanyeol’s key from the night stand.

“Thanks, Dae,” Chanyeol and Baekhyun say in unison.

~

When Jongdae gets back, Baekhyun and Chanyeol are absorbed in a multiplayer game.

“Yeol, I swear to fuck, if you don’t fucking jump!”

“I have to get the _timing_ right!”

“Y’all, I have food,” Jongdae says, dropping the bag on the bed. They’re playing Rayman Legends.

“Oh, look where your _‘timing’_ got us, Yeol!” yells Baekhyun, gesturing wildly towards the screen.

“Maybe if someone hadn’t been pressuring me!” says Chanyeol, tossing his controller to the side.

Jongdae grabs his sandwich from the bag, unfazed.

“MAybE iF sOmeOne HaDn’t BeEn PreSurInG mE,” mocks Baekhyun.

Chanyeol swats the top of Baekhyun’s head and turns his attention toward the bag.

“Thanks, Dae,” says Chanyeol sweetly.

Baekhyun gets up and joins them on the bed, “Yeah, thanks, Dae.”

“Mhmm,” says Jongdae around his sandwich.

Chanyeol passes Baekhyun his sandwich and pulls out his own before tossing the bag to the ground.

~

“Ah, I just remembered,” says Jongdae, “I saw Sehunnie on my way back.”

“Really? Does he live in this dorm?” asks Chanyeol, surprised.

“Yeah, he said he and Jongin chose this dorm because of the Arts community.”

“Oh, are they roommates?” Chanyeol asks, seeming puzzled by the information.

“I could’ve told you that, Yeol,” says Baekhyun.

“And yet you don’t,” replies Chanyeol, tilting his head to the side, his eyebrows knitted together and his lips pursed.

“Anyways, Sehunnie wanted to know where I was headed and when I told him I was headed to your room, he asked if he could visit some time. So I told him he could visit around 1p,” states Jongdae matter-of-factly.

“You what?!” exclaims Chanyeol, incredulous.

Jongdae shrugs by way of apology.

“The audacity you have, Dae,” chides Baekhyun, shaking his head.

“Baek, you _literally_ have a key to my room,” Chanyeol says.

“Yeah, but at least I’m not inviting people over,” says Baekhyun, unashamed, “And Dae, do you have to call _everyone’s_ name so cutely?”

“Oh, are you jealous?”

“Just consider the benefits of calling me a cute pet name.”

“Hey!” snaps Chanyeol, interrupting the two, “Can we focus on the issue at hand here? It’s already 1:05 and _someone_ ,” Chanyeol glares at Jongdae, “thought it would be funny to invite people over.”

As if on cue, there’s a soft knock at the door.

Chanyeol sighs and goes to answer it.

“Hey, Sehun. Hey, Jongin,” greets Chanyeol, smile on his face despite the unexpected situation.

“Hi, hyung,” says Sehun.

“Is now an okay time, hyung?” asks Jongin, looking over at Jongdae and Baekhyun.

“Yeah, it’s fi-”

“Join us!” says Baekhyun, waving them over with a grin.

Chanyeol steps aside to let the two shuffle in and closes the door, feeling exasperated. _I need to get new friends._

~

Sehun is telling Jongdae some story that has him giggling every five minutes. Baekhyun is cajoling Jongin into joining him and Chanyeol for another round of Rayman Legends, insisting that it’ll be a casual, relaxed game. Chanyeol raises his eyebrow, telling Baekhyun to behave. Baekhyun puts a hand over his heart and raises the other, “Scout’s honor.”

Jongin grabs the third PS4 controller and sits down next to Chanyeol on the floor. The bed _creaks_ behind them from Jongdae flinging himself over Sehun’s lap with laughter, crying “Sehunnie, you’re too much!”

“Is Sehun-ah tickling you, Dae, or are you just a flirt?” calls Baekhyun from the floor.

“I hope your character falls off a cliff, Baek!” Jongdae retorts.

Sehun whispers something to Jongdae and he cracks up again.

“What could Sehun-ah be telling him?” Chanyeol asks Jongin, leaning over to avoid being heard by the others.

“Beats me, hyung. Sehunnie likes flirting with people in general, so he’s might be complimenting him a lot,” says Jongin, matter-of-factly.

“Motherfucker! I can’t believe I actually fell!”

“Baekkie, chill. You’re already coming back,” sighs Chanyeol, then turns his attention back to Jongin, “You two seem to have such different personalities.”

Jongin shrugs, focused on trying to successfully glide over the spiked vines. “I guess it seems that way, but we’ve actually got a lot in common.”

“I couldn’t imagine you flirting like Sehun-ah.”

“I usually let people flirt with _me_ , hyung,” whispers Jongin, suddenly seeming closer than before.

“Oh,” says Chanyeol weakly.

“Damn it, Yeol! You just got us all killed! Why the fuck did you walk into that spike like that?” scolds Baekhyun.

“Yeah, hyung, you shouldn’t get so distracted during a game,” joins Jongin.

 

* * *

 

**Beagle Line ◖⚆ᴥ⚆◗**

5:07p

bbh: i will never get those 2 hours of my life back  
pcy: it wasn’t that bad ~  
bbh: when i’m on my deathbed  
bbh: and the reaper is there  
bbh: i will ask  
bbh: NAY  
bbh: plead  
bbh: “please… that movie i watched when i was but a boy… please give me those two hours back”  
pcy: chillll  
bbh: AND HE WILL TELL ME  
bbh: “no byun baekhyun. there is nothing i can do.”  
bbh: and i’ll nod solemnly  
pcy: this is excessive ~  
bbh: and i’ll cross the river of styx with a regretful smile  
bbh: understanding my great folly  
kjd: what the fuck did y’all see  
pcy: beauty and the beast  
kjd: didn’t that come out last month?  
pcy: yea baek never saw it though  
bbh: I WAITED SO LONG ONLY TO BE LET DOWN  
kjd: ??????  
pcy: he didn’t like the ending  
kjd: isn’t it a happy ending???  
pcy: yea  
bbh: HAPPY???

_bbh sent an image_

__

bbh: LIKE I DONT UNDERSTAND WHY WE CANT HAVE THE PRINCE ACTUALLY BE HOT  
bbh: THERE ARE A GAZILLION WHITE MEN  
bbh: AND Y’ALL CHOOSE THIS FUCKER  
pcy: maybe he had a good agent ~

_kjd sent an image_

__

bbh: dsjhfajdhfj  
bbh: i cant believe we could’ve had ryan  
bbh: (╥_╥)  
pcy: ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯  
kjd: ┐( ˘_˘)┌  
pcy: anyways what did you do today dae ~  
kjd: sehunnie and i went on a picnic ~  
kjd: after that we went to that art museum near campus  
kjd: it was cool talking about exhibits with him  
bbh: why are you always going to museums??  
pcy: aw that sounds cute dae  
pcy: did y’all go to the one we went to a couple months ago  
kjd: yea!  
kjd: that was such a fun time channie ~  
pcy: remember that guide we had  
bbh: ???  
kjd: ah she was so nice  
kjd: she even took a picture for us ~  
pcy: oh yea!

_kjd sent an image_

__

pcy: you’re such a cutie dae ♡  
kjd: ( *’ω’* ) ♡  
bbh: why the fuck are you two still going on dates after 18 years of marriage

_pcy sent an image_

__

kjd: baek  
kjd: didn’t channie just take you on a date  
bbh: … true  
bbh: thanks for that yeollie ♡  
pcy: ♡  
bbh: moving on to other stuff  
bbh: why the fuck were you giggling so damn loud yesterday with sehun  
kjd: lol  
pcy: jongin said he was probably complimenting him  
bbh: that little flirt  
bbh: i mean honestly  
bbh: has the boy no shame

_pcy sent an image_

__

bbh: whatever  
bbh: but was he dae ~  
pcy: you were laughing pretty loud  
kjd: ( *’ω’* )  
kjd: he was just saying nice things  
pcy: dayum  
bbh: woowwwwwwwwww  
kjd: he was like that last semester too ( *’ω’* )  
bbh: you were wearing that hoodie  
pcy: yeah that was a deadly move  
kjd: ????  
kjd: what tf are yall talking about

_bbh sent an image_

__

bbh: exhibit a  
kjd: i sent you that selfie months ago?????  
pcy: dae looks so cuddly ~  
bbh: such a sweet baby boy ~  
bbh: could kiss him all day ~  
pcy: could make him whimper all night ~  
kjd: is this payback for the apron kink  
pcy: ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯  
bbh: does that make this the hoodie kink yeol  
pcy: sounds right ~  
kjd: im blocking you two


	8. ur such a supportive boyfriend ♡✧ -bbh

**Dae, My Baby Boy** ✿

3:44p

kjd: your class ends soon right?  
bbh: yeah this is my last one for today  
kjd: english building?  
bbh: yes

 

* * *

 

Jongdae’s waiting for Baekhyun in the main lobby of the building. He’s playing on his phone when Baekhyun greets him.

“Hey, Dae,” says Baekhyun.

“Hey, Baek,” replies Jongdae, giving him a hug.

“Someone’s friendly today,” teases Baekhyun, somewhat stunned, “What’s up?”

“Nothing. I’m just finished with classes for today and wanted to see you,” Jongdae says with a smile.

Baekhyun cocks his head to the side, taking a moment to mull over the words. He shrugs and gestures for them to leave the English building.

~

They wind up relaxing on a bench near Drumheller Fountain. Students are scattered around. A few people have set up hammocks. A dog is barking somewhere nearby. The sun is out and the heat is _cozy_.

“We should do this more often,” Baekhyun states, looking at the way the water of the fountain arcs and falls.

“Yeah, I think sometimes we get so caught up with classes and life that we forget to enjoy what’s around us.”

“I know… You ever miss freshman year?” he asks, reminiscent.

“When we were fumbling our way through everything and getting lost every time we left the dorm?” asks Jongdae, sounding amused, “Not really.”

“Remember that time Yeol and I insisted we could make it to the student union without looking at the map?” Baekhyun asks, grinning at the memory.

“Oh you mean when you two got so lost that the campus police questioned you for fifteen minutes?”

Baekhyun laughs, telling Jongdae “I swear they would’ve arrested us if Yeol hadn’t shown our student IDs.”

Jongdae giggles at the ridiculous assertion, then says “Y’all looked like you had seen a ghost when you finally got back. You wouldn’t look at campus police for a whole semester after that.”

“They kept looking at me strange!” exclaims Baekhyun, wearing an expression of mock offense, “Every time they saw me, they’d scowl and say ‘There goes that Byun kid’ with this gruff voice. I don’t get why all of them had gruff voices back then. Now they sound like yappy chihuahuas.”

“You’re full of shit,” says Jongdae, laughing.

Baekhyun’s about to make a witty comeback when he sees a familiar face. _Shit. Just keep walking. Don’t come this way._ He must be frowning because Jongdae is nudging him with his shoulder, asking him “What is it, Baek?”

_Fuck, he’s going to see us if we don’t leave._

“Nothing, let’s go back to the dorms,” he says too quickly.

Jongdae looks puzzled, but gets up when Baekhyun does. Baekhyun collects their stuff and starts leading them away from their bench.

They’re about to disappear in a crowd of students when they’re stopped by someone.

“Jongdae?” says Minseok in disbelief. He doesn’t bother to acknowledge Baekhyun.

“Hi, hyung,” Jongdae says politely but not making eye contact.

_Why did this asshole have to appear?_

“Where’ve you been lately? You haven’t been replying to my texts,” he says with an easy smile, cocking his head to the side.

“I’ve been busy,” Jongdae says with none of his usual warmth.

“Too busy for your favorite hyung?” Minseok asks, his tone too sweet. He’s _leering_ at Jongdae.

 _He isn’t_ allowed _to look at Dae like that. He needs to_ go _or I’m going to make him._

“Y’know I can help you _relax_ if you’re stressed, Dae-yah,” Minseok says, stepping forward to stroke Jongdae’s cheek.

Jongdae tenses and it takes a considerable amount of willpower for Baekhyun to stay silent.

“Don’t _touch_ me,” Jongdae rebukes, wrenching away from the offending hand.

“How fickle you are, Dae-yah,” Minseok says, clicking his tongue in disapproval, “I remember when you’d _whimper_ for my touch.”

Baekhyun punches him in the jaw.

Minseok rubs the wounded area, glaring at Baekhyun when he spits at the ground. There’s a hint of blood mixed in the saliva.

“Leave,” Baekhyun says, abhorrently.

~

“You didn’t have to do that,” Jongdae sighs, sitting next to Baekhyun on the bed. He takes Baekhyun’s right hand gently, touching the ice pack to the knuckles. Baekhyun grimaces at the harsh chill.

“He’s lucky that’s all I did,” says Baekhyun bitterly.

Jongdae shakes his head with something of a smile and murmurs “You’re too much sometimes, Baek.”

“He shouldn’t have been talking to you like that, Dae,” Baekhyun grumbles.

Jongdae lifts the ice pack for a moment, then decides that they’re still too red and reapplies the pack.

“I mean we were in _public_!” Baekhyun exclaims, scoffing, “Anyone could’ve heard him talking so lewdly about you. Jesus, just thinking about how he touched you, like he had the _right_ , it makes want to punch him all over again. I mean who does he thi-”

“Baek,” says Jongdae, cutting off the tirade, “It’s fine.”

“But it’s not, Dae,” Baekhyun sighs, trying to will Jongdae to understand, “He shouldn’t have talked to you at all. Not after how he ignored you for weeks. You deserve so much better than that, Dae.”

“You can’t punch every guy that hurts me, Baek.”

“If they don’t hurt you, I won’t have to,” Baekhyun says quietly, looking down at their hands.

Jongdae moves the ice pack away, saying “That should be enough for now.” He doesn’t let go of Baekhyun’s hand though.

“Thanks, Dae,” Baekhyun mutters. _Have we been sitting this close the whole time?_

Jongdae turns Baekhyun’s hand over and starts tracing patterns on his palm with his thumb, gaze transfixed on where he’s touching. It feels _good_.

“ _Dae_ ,” Baekhyun breathes. _I should tell him to stop…_

“Tell me to stop, Baek,” Jongdae murmurs, leaning in closer, their noses brushing against each other.

_I don’t want you to stop._

Baekhyun exhales shakily because Jongdae’s touching his jaw now. He’s  _caressing_ him.

“Dae, don’t,” he says softly.

“Why?” Jongdae asks, chuckling slightly.

“I don’t want you to do something you’ll regret,” he says, voice wistful.

Jongdae pauses, then kisses Baekhyun’s cheek before pulling away.

 

* * *

 

**Yeol, My Ride or Die ★**

7:58p

bbh: hey yeol ~  
bbh: are you in your room?  
pcy: yea  
bbh: okay cool can i come over?  
pcy: lol i’m surprised you’re asking  
bbh: it’s been a weird day  
pcy: bad weird or good weird?  
bbh: just weird weird  
pcy: hmmm  
pcy: well come on up and tell me about it  
pcy: i’ve got sour gummy worms ~  
bbh: ur such a supportive boyfriend ♡✧

 

* * *

 

Chanyeol is sitting on his bed and drawing in his sketchbook when Baekhyun comes in. There’s a gummy worm hanging from his mouth and his forehead is wrinkled in concentration. There’s lo-fi hip hop beats humming from his laptop.

“Hey, Baekkie,” he says, chewing.

“Hey, Yeollie,” Baekhyun says, joining Chanyeol on the bed.

He’s working on what looks like a tattoo design. There’s several versions of a Korean rose on the page. Some are simple outlines, others are shaded using cross-hatching. The one he’s working on now is heavy with sketch lines.

“My grandma used to grow these in her garden,” Baekhyun remarks.

“Mine too,” replies Chanyeol. He frowns at one of the petals he’s drawn, then closes his sketchbook with a sigh. He sets the sketchbook and pen on the nightstand, then picks up the bag of gummy worms, offering some to Baekhyun.

Baekhyun plucks one out of the bag with a “Thanks, Yeol” and pops it in his mouth.

“So what happened?” Chanyeol asks.

“Well, Dae and I were hanging out at the fountain today,” Baekhyun starts.

“Mhmm.”

“And we saw Minseok - no, I’m not calling him ‘hyung’ - and he’s talking to Dae like he’s done nothing wrong. Like he didn’t ignore him for weeks on end. Jeez, he’s an asshole.”

“Breath, Baekkie,” Chanyeol tells him, sensing his rising frustration. Baekhyun takes a breath before continuing.

“Well anyways, he says something suggestive to Dae and _touches_ him. Then Dae, thank goodness, tells him to not touch him. I swear if Dae didn’t tell him, I would have. But then, Minseok tells him that Dae used to _whimper_ for his touch. Can you believe that? Who says shit like that in public? Fuck, he pisses me off.”

“Baek…”

“Right. So then I punched him.”

“You punched him?” Chanyeol asks, his eyebrow quirked.

“Wouldn’t you have?”

“If he said that to Dae, hell yeah I would have,” Chanyeol says, sounding just as aggravated, “But there’s more to this story.”

“Yeah. Well then Dae and I go back to the dorms and he’s icing my knuckles - yeah, they’re still kind of red - and I’m pissed, Yeol. Like what right does he have to do that sort of shit?”

“Wait, wait, so he just let you walk off after punching him?”

“Well he spat at my feet.”

“Blood?”

“Yeah.”

“Good.”

“I know, right? So Dae’s icing my hand and he’s telling me that I didn’t have to punch him, but, Yeol, you know I had to. He’s saying that I can’t punch every guy that hurts him and I’m like the hell I can’t. Well I don’t know how this next part really happened, but he’s touching my palm - like this, yeah, it feels weird, but good, right? - and then he’s close, like really close. And, Yeol, he’s starts _caressing_ my jaw, you know I don’t use that word lightly. Well you can imagine what’s about to happen, but then it doesn’t happen. Yes, I know. It’s because I tell him he should stop.”

“Did you want him to stop?”

“Yeol, who are you talking to here?”

“True. Was it because you didn’t want him to regret it?”

“Yeah, essentially.”

“Y’all should talk about this,” advises Chanyeol.

“I knew you’d say that,” he says, rolling his eyes yet smiling.

“Of course I’d advise good communication in a situation like this,” Chanyeol says, poking him in the side, “You look tired, Baekkie. What you need is a round of Rayman Legends.”

Baekhyun nods with a sigh and leans against Chanyeol’s shoulder, popping another gummy worm in his mouth. Chanyeol hugs him and kisses the top of his head, then gets up to grab their controllers and turn on his PS4.

~

“Fucking spiked vine!” Baekhyun yells at the screen as his character swells up and flails.

“Baekkie, you did run into it,” Chanyeol points out.

“Whatever,” he says with a pout, “Hey, Yeol-ah, I didn’t get to hear about your day.”

“Ah, I ran into Jongin after classes were over,” Chanyeol replies, setting his controller down.

“I feel like it’s not wholly accidental that you keep seeing him. This campus isn’t _that_ small,” Baekhyun remarks.

“Yeah, I suppose you’re right. I don’t know about this time though. He seemed surprised to see me. I think it was the first time I’ve seen him without Sehun.”

“Huh… Did y’all talk?”

“Yeah. Well, for a little while. He was on his way to a rehearsal, so he couldn’t stay long. Actually, he invited me to come see the show. It’s this Friday at 7p. Do you want to come with? I already invited Dae.”

“Yeah, that sounds cool. Wait… You already invited Dae? When?”

“Earlier today. He had something on his mind and came over. After we talked, I invited him,” states Chanyeol matter-of-factly.

“I feel like we’re skimming over a key detail here…”

“Oh you mean that you and Dae decided talking to me would be a better solution than talking to each other?”

“Yes, Yeol,” Baekhyun says, acknowledging the irony of the situation.

“I told him the same thing I told you,” Chanyeol says, speaking carefully to make Baekhyun understand, “Y’all need to _talk_.”

~

“Dae, it’s me. Can we talk?” says Baekhyun through the door.

There’s some shuffling around, then the door opens. Jongdae is in his flannel pajama bottoms and a hoodie.

“Hey, Baek,” he says, giving him a hug.

“Hey,” he responds eloquently.

“Don’t just stand there,” Jongdae says, walking toward the bed. He sits down and pats the seat next to him.

Baekhyun nods and closes the door, then joins Jongdae on the bed.

“About earlier…” he starts, tone uncertain, “Can we talk about,” he makes a vague gesture, “ _it_?”

“You mean me trying to kiss you and you asking me to stop?” Jongdae says easily, tilting his head.

“Yes. I, well, I just didn’t want you to do something impulsively.”

“Kissing you would be an impulse?”

“Yes. I mean, no. I don’t know. A lot happened this afternoon with Minseok and I didn’t want you to… I don’t know.”

“Kiss you because of Minseok-hyung?”

“No, not that. More like because I had… Y’know, punched him?”

“Ah, so I’d kiss you because you punched him?”

“No…”

“Then what?”

“I don’t know! I just… I can handle a lot of things, Dae. Really I can, but I can’t handle the thought of losing you over something like a kiss that didn’t have to happen. You mean too much to me. I just…” he trails off with a sigh.

“I wouldn’t regret it, Baek,” Jongdae says sincerely.

“How do you know?” he murmurs.

“Because it’s you. I just know.”

“I…” Baekhyun starts, trying to give another reason why this is a mistake. He can’t think of one.

He shifts and leans in close, letting their foreheads touch. They’re sharing each other’s breaths and he feels so at home having Jongdae that close to him.

One of Jongdae’s hands is at the nape of his neck, keeping him in place. Baekhyun shivers at the touch, caressing Jongdae’s cheek.

“Tell me to stop, Dae,” Baekhyun murmurs.

“I won’t,” he whispers, brushing his nose against Baekhyun’s.

Baekhyun presses their lips together and he’s kissing Jongdae gently because he wants to make sure that this is _okay_ , that Jondae knows they can _stop_.

Jongdae tilts his head for a better angle, deepening the kiss, because he doesn’t want to be kissed _gently_ , he wants to kiss _messy_ and _needy_.

Baekhyun nips Jongdae’s lip, then licks and sucks until Jongdae is _whining_ , letting Baekhyun slip his tongue inside, exploring, tasting. Jongdae’s hand is on his thigh, rubbing circles with his thumb.

“Dae,” Baekhyun says breathlessly.

“What is it, Baekkie?” Jongdae asks, hand creeping higher.

“Let’s slow down,” he says, kissing the corner of Jongdae’s mouth, “I don’t want to do too much, too soon.”

Jongdae kisses Baekhyun slower, sweeter than before, then pulls away, whispering “Okay”.

Baekhyun lightly pushes Jongdae, asking him to lay down for him. He kisses Jongdae’s nose, his cheeks, his forehead, causing Jongdae to sigh contentedly.

“I should go,” Baekhyun says with a sigh.

Jongdae pouts, telling him “Stay.”

Baekhyun kisses the pout away, then shifts so that they’re spooning.

“Why does everyone manhandle me?” Jongdae asks with a _huff_.

“Must be a kink,” Baekhyun jokes, reaching over to turn off the lamp. Jongdae scoffs, but puts his hand on top of the one Baekhyun has on his waist.

“G’night, Baek.”

“G’night, Dae.”


	9. this is a gay crisis -pcy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this chapter came a little later than usual! ~

Baekhyun wakes up on the floor.

_How did I wind up here?_

Jongdae is sleeping soundly, nestled under the comforter.

_Did he push me off the bed?_

He shakes his head at the idea. _He’s serious about not being able to sleep while being cuddled._ There’s a crick in his neck. He massages the spot, sitting up and yawning. He gets up and searches around for his phone. After a couple of minutes, he finds it under the bed.

 

**Beagle Line ◖⚆ᴥ⚆◗**

10:10a

_pcy sent an image_

__

pcy: y’all please  
pcy: this is a gay crisis

10:22a

bbh: hey yeol ~  
bbh: on a scale of 1 to 10, how bad is it?  
pcy: where would you put flower picking for a boy?  
bbh: oooh that’s a 7 no doubt  
bbh: that’s surpassing the “am i a top or a bottom” crisis  
pcy: or a vers ~  
bbh: oooh daddy chanyeol is a vers?  
pcy: we’ve talked about this  
pcy: and where’s dae???  
bbh: uh asleep  
bbh: hold on

 

* * *

 

 

Baekhyun gets up and slowly creeps over towards the bed. He leans down and looks at Jongdae’s face. _How can I wake him up so he isn’t grumpy? Maybe if I…_ He nudges Jongdae’s shoulder, singing softly “Dae, it’s morning. Time to wake up.” Jongdae rouses with a yawn, asking “What time is it?” His voice heavy and low with sleep.

“It’s almost 10:30a,” Baekhyun says.

Jongdae nods and sits up to stretch his arms. “Okay,” he says, “Let me go shower.”

Baekhyun’s brain short-circuits and he’s stuck imagining Jongdae showering because damn, that’s an image.

“Baek, move,” Jongdae whines, jostling Baekhyun’s shoulder.

Baekhyun shakes off his daydream and steps back from the bed, so Jongdae can get up.

He shuffles into the bathroom and a few minutes later there’s the sound of water pitter-patting against the tiles.

_I should go get dressed too._

He shouts through the door “I’m heading back to my room!”

“Okay!” Jongdae calls back.

 

* * *

 

 

**Beagle Line ◖⚆ᴥ⚆◗**

11:26a

kjd: hey channie ~  
pcy: hey dae ♡  
bbh: yeol has a gay crisis on his hands  
kjd: i know  
kjd: also…  
kjd: daddy chanyeol is a vers?  
pcy: okay we’re focusing on the wrong thing here  
bbh: y’know it makes sense tbh  
kjd: honestly  
kjd: there’s probably a size kink there somewhere  
bbh: hell yeah there is  
bbh: i mean you think daddy chanyeol is gonna pin you down and fuck you until you’re delirious  
bbh: but sometimes he just wants to lay back and be appreciated  
kjd: he probably wants your mouth everywhere ~  
bbh: $20 says he’s loud

_pcy sent an image_

__

pcy: y’all please  
pcy: this isn’t the time  
kjd: sorry ~  
bbh: okay daddy  
pcy: anyways  
pcy: flowers  
kjd: there’s a florist about a half hour from campus ~  
kjd: who are the flowers for, chan-chan?  
pcy: … jonginnie  
pcy: i thought it would be nice to give them to him for the show tonight  
kjd: aw, that’s so sweet

_bbh sent an image_

__

pcy: baek you literally panicked because dae touched your palm  
bbh: i told you that in confidence!  
kjd: ah i thought you had a hand kink  
bbh: ashfjdshfj  
bbh: i do not!  
pcy: remember that time i accidentally bit your hand  
pcy: and you whimpered  
bbh: that was because it hurt  
kjd: nah i was there baek  
kjd: that was a sex whimper  
pcy: damn you’ve been exposed baekkie  
bbh: let’s just go to the damn florist  
kjd: okay ~  
pcy: s( ^ ‿ ^)-b

 

* * *

 

Baekhyun grabs his keys and wallet, then heads out of his room. He takes the elevator down, checking his email. The elevator makes a couple of stops before reaching the ground floor. He sees Jongdae waiting in the lobby, sitting on a couch.

“Yeol isn’t here yet?” he asks, sitting down and searching the area.

“He’s asking the front desk receptionist for a bus map,” Jongdae tells him, pointing out Chanyeol.

“But we all have phones?” Baekhyun says, scrunching his eyebrows in confusion.

“I know. He’s nervous though,” Jongdae says.

Baekhyun hums in agreement, looking over at Chanyeol. The receptionist is gone and he’s drumming his fingers on the desk, waiting.

“Hey, Baek,” Jongdae says, drawing Baekhyun’s attention to him.

“Mmmm?”

“You left without giving me a kiss this morning,” he says softly, a glint in his eyes.

Baekhyun breathes a sound of surprise, feeling like he’s being admonished.

Jongdae cups his chin, holding him there for a moment, reminding him that he’s _allowed_ to do this with Jongdae now. Jongdae blows gently on his lips, then kisses him, slow and with quiet desire. When they stop, Baekhyun whimpers at the loss. Jongdae gives him one more peck, then pulls away.

~

For whatever reason, their GPS kept leading them to a store that was nearby and would stop navigating when it thought they arrived.

Chanyeol looks around for a few moments, reading the street signs, then referring back to the map.

“Oh, I think I know what the issue is. The shop is behind all these stores. If we go back towards the bakery, there should be an alley that leads us to the shop,” Chanyeol explains, starting to walk back towards the bakery.

“Thank goodness you know how to read a map, Yeol,” Baekhyun says with a sigh of relief.

“Don’t you?” asks Jongdae, incredulous.

“Listen, I’m a theater major. None of us know how to read a map.”

“Those aren’t even related concepts…” Chanyeol says, perplexed by the absurdity of the statement.

“Trust me - all of us are lost,” Baekhyun declares.

“Do you hear yourself when you ta-”

“Y’all, this is it,” says Chanyeol, smiling from successfully navigating them.

The door _rings_ as they walk in. There’s barely enough room for all of them. The shop is probably no bigger than one of their rooms. The walls are lined with buckets of flower bouquets with their prices printed on chalk signs. The girl working the counter greets them, telling them that they’re having a spring sale and everything with a red sticker is 20% off.

“Thanks,” Chanyeol says politely, then starts inspecting the different options.

After a few minutes of “No, not those” and “Those are the wrong color” and “Baekkie, please stop quoting Ophelia”, Chanyeol finally picks one. It’s an arrangement of yellow roses and pink calla lilies.

He does a quick search on his phone, wanting to make sure that they have the right meaning.

“Yellow roses are associated with friendship, joy, and good health,” he reads aloud, “Calla lilies have been associated with Venus and therefore lust and sexuality - hush, Baek - however they typically mean purity and faithfulness. Pink calla lilies have a different meaning and are associated with admiration and appreciation.”

“You’re such a dutiful gay, Yeol,” Baekhyun teases when he finishes reading.

“Hand kink,” Chanyeol retorts, then goes to pay for the bouquet.

~

They have lunch on campus in the student union. It’s loud with students who either have Fridays off or just got out of class. There’s a tour group sifting through the crowd with a bubbly guide who’s telling the nervous high schoolers and skeptical parents about the magic of the Husky Union Building, better known as the HUB. Somehow Chanyeol nabbed a booth for them in the fifteen minutes it took for Baekhyun and Jongdae to get their food.

Jongdae slides into the booth next to Chanyeol and Baekhyun sits opposite of them. Chanyeol pulls out his wallet to pay Jongdae back for the food, but Jongdae declines, telling him “Those flowers were pricey, Channie. It’s my treat.”

“Yeah, how much were the flowers, Yeol?” Baekhyun asks around a bite of his pizza.

“I’m not telling, Baekkie. You’re just gonna tease me,” Chanyeol says with a _huff_.

“But you’ll tell Dae?” Baekhyun asks, gesturing toward a cheeky Jongdae.

“Okay, okay,” says Chanyeol with a sigh, “I paid about $25 for them.”

“Wow, that’s generous of you, Yeol-ah,” Baekhyun says, seriously.

Chanyeol squints his eyes in suspicion and Jongdae quirks an eyebrow.

“That’s… That’s all you’re gonna say?” Chanyeol asks hesitantly.

“Yeah,” Baekhyun says with a shrug, then takes another bite of his pizza.

“Hmm, I guess we should give him more credit, Chan-chan,” Jongdae says.

“Yeah, I’m sorry I assumed that you’d be a dick, Baekkie,” Chanyeol says genuinely.

“No, it’s cool. Anyways when can I expect an invite?” Baekhyun asks casually.

“An invite to…?” Chanyeol asks, confused.

“You and Jongin’s wedding,” Baekhyun says with a grin, then starts cracking up.

Jongdae kicks his shin and he wheezes an “Ow” before laughing more.

“Ignore him,” Jongdae says, rubbing Chanyeol’s shoulder, “I think Nini will really appreciate the flowers.”

“Thanks, Dae,” Chanyeol replies, then sticks his tongue out at Baekhyun, “I texted Sehun-ah about it and he said Jonginnie is always really anxious before a performance, even if he tries to cover it up.”

“Ah, are we gonna see the show with Sehunnie?” Jongdae asks.

“Now Jongin-ah has a cute nickname?” Baekhyun says, scrunching his eyebrows and tilting his head.

“Hush, Baek, you’re in timeout,” Jongdae chides, then turns his attention back to Chanyeol, “So will we, Channie?”

“I think so,” Chanyeol says, unsure and chewing on a fry, “I kind of figured he’d somehow find us in the auditorium.”

“Well, could you text him just to make sure?” Jongdae requests.

“Yeah, okay. I’ll ask him to meet us in the waiting area a few minutes before doors open,” Chanyeol says, pulling out his phone.

Baekhyun starts miming questions, pointing to his mouth, then putting his hands together in a pleading way. Jongdae looks at him skeptically, then asks him “You’ll be good?”

Baekhyun nods his head eagerly and crosses his heart. Jongdae looks to Chanyeol, saying “It’s your choice, Chan-chan.” Baekhyun looks over to Chanyeol, mouthing “I’m sorry” with exaggerated motions and a puppy dog look.

“Only if you apologize, Baekkie,” Chanyeol says, crossing his arms and pouting.

“I’m sorry, Yeol-ah. I shouldn’t have teased you about the flowers. I think it’s great how much you care, seriously,” Baekhyun apologizes, sounding sincere.

“Apology accepted,” Chanyeol says with a smile.

“Thanks, Yeol. I’ll chill with the jokes,” Baekhyun promises. Jongdae slurps his drink, looking down with raised eyebrows. “Or at least I won’t joke when it’s clear you’re not in the mood for teasing.”

“Good enough,” Chanyeol says, resigned.

 

* * *

 

**Beagle Line ◖⚆ᴥ⚆◗**

5:43p

pcy: alright y’all, so sehun said he’ll meet us at 6:30p in the lobby  
kjd: okay ~  
bbh: are we supposed to dress a certain way for this?  
pcy: ???  
kjd: ??? it’s a college show????  
kjd: not a performance at the paramount theater  
bbh: well we’ve got people buying flowers!  
bbh: i just wanted to be prepared!  
pcy: casual, but nice  
pcy: like no pajamas  
bbh: i have never left the dorms in pajamas

_kjd sent an image_

__

bbh: okay maybe once  
pcy: baek you came to astronomy class in pajamas  
kjd: yeah like this past monday  
bbh: 8a classes being an exception  
bbh: other than that

_pcy sent an image_

__

bbh: fdjahfdjha  
bbh: anyways  
bbh: yeol i feel we should tell you…  
kjd: ?  
pcy: ???  
bbh: dae and i  
bbh: we talked  
bbh: and well  
bbh: we kissed

_pcy sent an image_

__

kjd: were you being dramatic or did you really think channie didn’t know  
pcy: yea baekkie you literally slept in dae’s room last night  
bbh: how do you know???????  
pcy: you told me he was asleep this morning when i asked about him???  
pcy: and you two kept giving each other kisses when i was more than five feet from you????

_bbh sent an image_

__

_kjd sent an image_

__

bbh: i can explain  
kjd: how???  
kjd: like there's no other way of explaining that???  
pcy: yea really baekkie  
pcy: that would be advanced bullshit and you haven't taken that class yet  
kjd: you mean philosophy?  
bbh: ooh burn ~  
pcy: oh no we outlawed that phrase weeks ago  
pcy: also  
pcy: please don't sit next to each other  
kjd: okay channie ♡  
bbh: finneeee ~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The flowers Chanyeol bought look like this:  
> 
> 
> Here are the sources for the flower meanings: [pink calla lilies](https://www.ftd.com/blog/share/calla-lily-meaning-and-symbolism) and [yellow roses](https://www.proflowers.com/blog/history-and-meaning-of-yellow-roses).


	10. he’s got talent for sure -bbh

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The performance referenced in this chapter is inspired by [Sergei Polunin](https://youtu.be/c-tW0CkvdDI). The description is short though because describing his movements and emotions are... Well, there's a reason why it's performed.  
> 

They make it to the performing arts center around 6:25p. There’s a medium sized crowd scattered throughout the lobby. Parents with bouquets stand around, dressed in business casual wear. Students sit on the benches, buzzing with conversation.

The setting sun is shining through the large ceiling-to-floor windows and mixing with the fluorescent studio lights hanging from the ceiling. Colorful, abstract sculptures decorate the gray concrete walls.

Sehun’s sitting on a bench, dressed in pastel plaid pants and a short sleeve button-down. He’s talking with someone with dark blue hair and a beanie when Jongdae calls him over. He says goodbye to the person he was talking to and walks toward them.

“Jongdae-hyung!” says Sehun with a smile, pulling Jongdae into a tight hug, “I didn’t know you were coming too.”

“Ah, Channie invited me. I’m glad we’re seeing it with you, Sehunnie,” Jongdae says with a large grin on his face.

“Yeah, usually it’s just me supporting Nini,” Sehun says, not elaborating, “Thanks for coming, Chanyeol-hyung. These flowers are really pretty. The callas are a nice touch.”

“How does everyone know about flowers?” asks Baekhyun, pinching the bridge of his nose and looking down.

“Oh, hey, Baekhyun-hyung. I think it’s a gay thing,” Sehun answers, still pondering the question.

“It’s definitely a gay thing,” Jongdae remarks.

“You know, I was reading a paper on the role of symbolism in the LGBTQ+ community for a class…” Chanyeol remembers.

“The art of the rhetorical question is wasted on y’all.”

~

There are student ushers inside the theater that are handing out programs, telling them to sit towards the middle since the front couple of rows are reserved for parents and faculty.

Baekhyun finds four seats toward the center of row F, giving them a good view of the stage. Chanyeol sits between Baekhyun and Jongdae; Sehun sits next to Jongdae. The two of them inspect the program Jongdae took from the usher, trying to figure out what sort of performances will be happening tonight. Baekhyun does the same with his program, bouncing his leg.

“It doesn’t bother you?” Chanyeol whispers, gesturing his head toward Sehun and Jongdae. Sehun is holding onto Jongdae’s arm, whispering something.

“Nah,” Baekhyun says, not bothering to look up from his program, “I’ve had to look at people flirt with Dae for years.”

“I- … Hmm. I didn’t think about it that way,” Chanyeol says, stunned at how calm Baekhyun is.

“But let’s talk about you, Yeol,” Baekhyun says, looking up.

“What about me?” asks Chanyeol, not sure what Baekhyun is referring to.

“C’mon, you know what. You’ve got flowers for Jongin. Even Sehun didn’t get flowers,” Baekhyun says. It’s not his usual teasing — he’s genuinely curious.

“To be honest, I don’t know. Sehun really liked the idea of me coming to the show since he’s usually the only one here for Jonginnie.”

“Yeah, I remember him saying that in the lobby.”

“Yeah, well, I didn’t like the sound of that, so I wanted to show my support. I haven’t known either of them long, but I like them,” Chanyeol says with a shrug.

“I can under-”

Baekhyun’s cut off by the sound of a microphone turning on. The lights dim and a spotlight illuminates a woman on stage. Her hair is pulled back into a bun and she’s wearing a formal black dress.

“Friends, family, and esteemed faculty,” the woman begins, “welcome to the 2017 Spring Student Showcase. Tonight you’ll be seeing solo performances from our talented students. They’ve gone through several rounds of auditioning to be here tonight. They’ve been preparing for tonight’s show for weeks and we’re proud of how dedicated they’ve been. Our show will beginning shortly, so please silence all cell phones and devices. We ask that you hold your applause until the end of each performance. Please enjoy our show and go Huskies!”

The audience claps as she claps, then she leaves the stage and the spotlight disappears. Somewhere in the background a student whoops “Yeah, go Huskies!” and an usher might have escorted him out.

~

Jongin is the fifth performer of the night. So far the dance style has ranged from modern to jazz to breakdancing. The previous performer leaves the stage after bowing. The audience is clapping and another random student shouts “Go Sarah!” The hostess of the evening returns to the stage and she’s politely reminding everyone of audience etiquette.

“Our next performer is _John-geen Kim_ \- oh, I apologize - _Kim Jongin_ , a freshman majoring in Dance with a minor in Music. Please welcome him to the stage.”

The audience claps and Sehun whispers to Jongdae that they never get his name right.

The spotlight shines on Jongin kneeling on the floor, head hung. Hozier’s “Take Me to Church” begins to play. The performance is a mixture of ballet and modern dance and there’s so much emotion to each move. He’s somehow telling a story without ever speaking and it’s indescribable how he manages to make such light movements look weighted with the thoughts and feelings of the song. The audience is mesmerized.

The song ends and he returns to the position he started in. Applause pierces the silence and he stands to bow, then exits the stage. The hostess appears again, welcoming the next performer.

~

The show ends a little after 8p. Baekhyun and Jongdae went off to the bathroom. Chanyeol and Sehun are sitting in the lobby, waiting for Jongin to come from backstage.

“Thanks again for coming, Chanyeol-hyung,” Sehun says, tone more serious than usual.

“I’m really glad Jonginnie told me about it. He’s really good,” Chanyeol replies warmly.

“He’s been training ballet for years now. I think since elementary school.”

“Wow, that’s a long time. It makes sense though. His parents must be proud.”

“Kind of. They think he’s talented, but when they heard that he wanted to major in Dance, they got angry. Told him he’s wasting his time and that he should major in something ‘useful,’” Sehun explains, a frown on his face, “You know this is the first time in three years that a freshman has been part of the Spring Showcase?”

“That’s… I don’t know what to say. It’s messed up that his parents won’t support him on nights like these,” Chanyeol says, eyebrows furrowed in thought.

Baekhyun and Jongdae pop up and join them on the bench. Baekhyun looks a little flushed and Jongdae has a grin on his face.

“I thought you two went to the bathroom,” Sehun asks, perplexed.

“We did,” Baekhyun says in a rush.

“Hyung, you two came from the right side, but the bathrooms are on the left,” Sehun says with a smirk.

“I can expl-”

“Sehun-ah!” calls Jongin, rushing up to give him a hug. The two stay in a warm embrace for a moment before Jongin registers that other people are around. He pulls away from the hug and bashfully greets Jongdae and Baekhyun.

“Hi, Chanyeol-hyung,” Jongin says with a smile.

“Hi, Jonginnie. You were great tonight,” Chanyeol says, smiling fondly. Jongdae clears his throat loudly and Chanyeol gives him a pointed stare before returning his attention to Jongin. “These are for you,” Chanyeol continues, picking the flowers up from the bench and handing them to Jongin.

Jongin’s eyes are wide with surprise as he takes the bouquet, silently mouthing “Me?” Chanyeol nods his head cheerfully and Sehun nudges Jongin.

“Ah, thanks, hyung. You didn’t have to,” Jongin says nervously, a blush coloring his cheeks.

“You deserve them. You’re really talented, Nini,” Chanyeol replies genuinely.

“Great, now you’ve infected, Yeol,” Baekhyun whispers to Jongdae and Jongdae elbows him in the stomach.

 

* * *

 

**Beagle Line ◖⚆ᴥ⚆◗**

11:08p

pcy: hi ~  
kjd: hey channie ~  
bbh: hey yeol how was dinner with the babies  
kjd: they’re only two years younger  
bbh: still  
pcy: it was good  
pcy: i still don’t get why you two wouldn’t come  
kjd: sehunnie kept waving his hands no whenever you would ask us  
bbh: yeah you know i like ihop at night  
bbh: me and dae wound up having chipotle just to comfort the loss of pancakes  
pcy: sehun is two years younger????  
pcy: how did he intimidate you two???  
kjd: well he asked me nicely before  
kjd: he said he wanted it to be just the three of you  
bbh: of course he asked you nicely  
kjd: he didn’t do the same for you???  
pcy: ????  
bbh: oh no  
bbh: i’ll tell you what he said to me  
pcy: baekkie please no exaggerations  
kjd: yea it’s too late for that  
bbh: it was sometime around 8:35p

_pcy sent an image_

__

_kjd sent an image_

__

bbh: jongin was talking with the two of you  
bbh: i had been trying to join the conversation  
bbh: but then sehun pulled me aside  
bbh: his hand was tight on my arm  
bbh: when he whispered it was low and menacing  
bbh: he told me  
bbh: when someone proposes dinner, i want you to scram  
bbh: then he let go of my arm and gave me a tight smile  
bbh: all i could do was nod my head - stunned at his words  
kjd: why are you like this  
pcy: yeah pull back baekkie  
bbh: one of my finals is to write a play  
kjd: oohhhhh  
pcy: that’s a flimsy justification at best  
bbh: at worst?  
pcy: a reason for you to be excessive until the semester ends  
kjd: he’s not much better normally ~  
pcy: true ~

_bbh sent an image_

__

kjd: so did anything happen channie (✿´ ꒳ ` )  
bbh: yeah yeol ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) anything happen?  
pcy: why are y’all always expecting something to happen??  
kjd: ┐( ˘_˘)┌  
bbh: ＼| ￣ヘ￣|／  
bbh: so you’re saying nothing happened  
pcy: no of course something happened  
pcy: i’m just practicing the art of the rhetorical question  
bbh: Y’ALL DIDN’T NEED TO RESPOND TO THE FUCKING FLOWER QUESTION  
kjd: chan-chan ~  
pcy: well we went to ihop and the food was good  
pcy: sehunnie started playing footsie with me at one point  
bbh: ???  
kjd: ???  
pcy: ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯  
pcy: anyways we were both telling nini how great his performance was  
pcy: and he said the song he used has been his favorite for a while  
pcy: then we started talking about the video  
pcy: i won’t go into detail because it felt private  
pcy: but when we were headed back he gave me a hug and thanked me again for the flowers  
kjd: nini is so cute  
kjd: i’m glad we could support him tonight  
bbh: he’s got talent for sure  
pcy: yeah i’m thankful he has sehun too  
pcy: they seem to support each other a lot  
bbh: on a different note  
bbh: dae  
bbh: could you imagine getting flowers from daddy chanyeol?  
kjd: oh i wouldn’t be able to stop hugging him  
bbh: i’d blow him at least  
pcy: at most???  
kjd: why would you ask that

_bbh sent 2 images_

__

pcy: those aren’t…  
pcy: oh god  
pcy: jeez baekkie  
pcy: because of flowers??  
bbh: hell yeah (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧  
kjd: you make a good point baek  
pcy: these thirst jokes are a lot  
bbh: who tf is joking  
kjd: why would we joke about this  
pcy: dhsafdjh good night  
kjd: night ~  
bbh: night ~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Clarifications and Facts No One Asked For
> 
> 1\. **Why They're Called the Beagle Line** : When they roomed together in freshman and sophomore year, their RA was always complaining about their noise level and insisted that they were as energetic as puppies. The nickname was given after their first semester (the RA did get the nickname from k-pop lingo).  
> 2\. **Why They All Flirt With Each Other** : See above... But in all honestly, they're just really close and like getting a rise out of each other. It's something that started around the end of their sophomore year.  
> 3\. **Why Jongdae Calls Everyone Cutely Except Baekhyun** : On very special occasions he'll call Baekhyun cutely. For the most part he quickly gets comfortable with people and likes the way cute variations sound. He also knows it drives Baekhyun up the wall that he won't say "Baekkie" more often.  
> 4\. **Why Their Astronomy Class Matters** : Since they don't room together anymore, they have less time to see each other. One of their ideas was to take a GenEd everyone needs so that they could have at least one class together.  
> 5\. **Jongdae and Cuddling** : As much as he enjoys cuddling, he just can't stay asleep with someone holding him (except that one time, leave me alone). Despite the minor complaints (mainly from Baekhyun), Chanyeol and Baekhyun are thankful since they like spooning him (it's the hoodie kink), but their arms would fall asleep if they held that position all night.


	11. all of us are dumb with crushes -bbh

**Sehunnie ✧˖°**

10:48a

osh: hyung ~  
osh: can i study in your room please

_osh sent an image_

__

kjd: okay, sehunnie, but why my room?  
osh: there’s someone playing their accordion next door  
osh: and being near such a cute hyung will motivate me  
kjd: ( *’ω’* ) you’re so silly  
kjd: does nini want to come too?  
osh: let me ask  
osh: he said if it’s not too much trouble  
kjd: it’s fine ~

 

* * *

 

Jongdae gets up from his bed, careful not to bump any of the textbooks that had been scattered around him. He walks over to where Chanyeol is sitting at his desk, jostling his shoulder to get his attention. Chanyeol plucks out an earbud and looks his way.

“Your boys are coming over, Chan-chan,” Jongdae informs him.

“What for?” Chanyeol asks curiously, setting his pencil down.

“Sehunnie wants a place to study and there’s an accordion player disturbing them.”

“The pitfalls of living in an arts community,” Chanyeol says, shaking his head, “Do I need to move or something?”

“Nah, I don’t think so. I just wanted to let you know.”

“Thanks, Dae. Wait… Since when are Sehunnie and Nini ‘my boys’?” Chanyeol asks, raising an eyebrow.

Jongdae just shrugs and Chanyeol is about to explain that they’re _not_ ‘his boys’ when there’s a knock at the door. Jongdae goes to answer the door.

“Hi, hyung,” Sehun and Jongin say in unison.

“Hi, Sehunnie. Hi, Nini,” Jongdae says with a smile, “Come in.”

They shuffle in and set their backpacks down. Jongdae settles back on the bed, trying to find his place in his textbook. Chanyeol gets up to greet them and Sehun pulls him into a hug, saying “Hi, Channie-hyung.” Chanyeol flushes at the nickname and hugs Sehun back. Jongin mutters a shy “Hi, hyung” and Chanyeol pulls Jongin into the hug too.

Sehun settles on the bed next to Jongdae with an art history textbook. Jongin pulls out his laptop and sits on the floor at the foot of the bed. After a few moments, Chanyeol joins Jongin on the floor, not wanting to have a chair when Jongin couldn’t.

~

“Nini, I’m hungry,” Sehun whines, closing his textbook.

“Figure out what you want to eat first, Sehun,” Jongin says, still typing on his laptop.

Sehun pouts and breaks out his phone to search for ideas.

“Chan-chan, I want food too. I’m gonna scream if I see the word ‘pedagogy’ one more time,” Jongdae says, scooching forward on the bed to rest his chin on top of Chanyeol’s head.

“Okay, Dae. What do you want to eat?” Chanyeol asks with a weary smile.

“Who delivers around here?” Jongdae asks, idly running his finger along the side of Chanyeol’s neck.

“I think Papa John’s,” Chanyeol says, putting his algebra study guide to the side.

“Boys, you want pizza?” Jongdae asks, peering back at Sehun.

“Yes, please,” Sehun says, setting his phone down and crawling up the bed to cuddle next to Jongdae.

“Sounds good to me, hyung,” Jongin replies, opening a new tab, “I can order.”

“Ah, let me do it, Nini. It’s my treat,” Chanyeol says, pulling up the order screen on his phone.

“Thanks, Channie,” Jongdae says, pressing a kiss to the top of Chanyeol’s head.

“Thanks, hyung,” Jongin says politely, then returns to the google doc he was working in.

“Yeah, thanks, hyung,” Sehun says.

~

There’s a _knock_ on the door, followed by “Delivery for Chanyeol!” Chanyeol taps Jongdae’s hand for him to stop playing in his hair, so he can get up. He goes to answer the door and the delivery guy unbuckles the green pouch to hand Chanyeol the pizzas - one pepperoni, one meats.

“Dae, can you take these?” Chanyeol calls back, extending the two boxes behind him.

The delivery guy hands him a receipt to sign and he scrawls his signature at the bottom. He hands the receipt back and hands a few bucks over for a tip. The delivery guy says a quick “Thanks, bro” before leaving.

Sehun already has a slice of pepperoni in his mouth when he closes the door. Jongin has closed his laptop and is getting a slice of meat pizza. Sehun asks him about the low-carb diet he had been on for a couple of weeks and Jongin just shrugs, taking a bite of the pizza.

“Channie, come here,” Jongdae says, curling his finger.

Chanyeol comes over and Jongdae gives him a hug, slipping something into his back pocket and kissing his jaw. Chanyeol tries to reach for whatever is in his pocket and Jongdae clicks his tongue for him to stop, telling him it’s just money for the tip.

“Thanks, Dae,” he says, pulling away to grab a slice of pizza, “You’re not eating yet, Dae?”

“No, I don’t like eating things hot,” Jongdae says, picking up his phone.

Chanyeol replies with a muffled “Oh yeah”, already eating.

 

* * *

 

**Baek ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ**

1:32p

kjd: if you’re done with rehearsal, chan-chan ordered pizza ♡  
bbh: thank fuck i’m starving  
bbh: last time i ate was like 7a  
kjd: don’t y’all get breaks?  
bbh: only long enough to drink water or go to the bathroom  
kjd: ew  
kjd: anyways we’re all in my room  
bbh: okay  
bbh: wait who’s “all”?  
kjd: chan-chan and his boys  
bbh: oh the babies  
bbh: okay i’ll be there in ten ~

 

* * *

 

“Channie, Baek is done with rehearsal. He’ll be here in ten,” Jongdae says, tossing his phone on his night stand.

“M’kay,” Chanyeol says.

“Hyung,” Jongin says, tapping Chanyeol’s shoulder, “Can you look over my English essay? I’m not sure how well it flows.”

“Yeah, let me clean my hands first,” Chanyeol says, getting up to go to Jongdae’s bathroom.

“Nini, haven’t you been working on that essay for a week now?” Sehun asks, pulling Jongdae against him to lean on his shoulder.

“Yeah, it’s a personal narrative. I just want to make sure I’m conveying these emotions correctly,” Jongin replies, looking at the rubric that was posted online, “The professor is really particular about how we write things and this paper is worth 15% of my overall grade.”

Chanyeol resurfaces and asks to take a look at the essay. Jongin hands him his laptop after clicking back over to the google doc.

“Ah, Baek can help you too, Nini,” Jongdae chimes in, letting Sehun play in his hair, “He’s got a minor in Creative Writing.”

Chanyeol nods his head to agree with Jongdae, eyebrows scrunched as he reads the narrative. He pauses after hitting the second paragraph, asking Jongin “Are you sure you want me to read this?” The paper is talking about when Jongin was in high school and struggling with an eating disorder.

Jongin nods, telling him that it’s an issue that’s been resolved for a while now. Chanyeol continues reading, interlacing his fingers with Jongin’s.

Sehun is whispering to Jongdae again, a smirk on his face. Jongdae play-bites his shoulder, telling him “You say the wildest things, Sehunnie.” Sehun shrugs, telling Jongdae that he means whatever he says. Jongdae giggles and lightly pushes him away.

Chanyeol types a couple of comments as he goes, most of them critiquing wording and suggesting rearranging certain sentences. Jongin is nodding along, biting the knuckle of his thumb.

There’s a _knock_ and Baekhyun is calling, “Dae, it’s me.” Jongdae gets up from the bed to let Baekhyun in, giving him a quick kiss.

“Dae, not in front of the kids,” Baekhyun admonishes.

“You’re silly, Baek,” Jongdae says with a sigh, walking off and pointing to the boxes of pizza on the desk.

Baekhyun rushes over to the boxes, looking grateful. He mutters a quick greeting to everyone before inspecting his options.

“The one on the right is pepperoni and the one on the left is meat,” Jongdae tells him, “Ah, Baek, bring me a slice too. I haven’t eaten yet.”

Baekhyun nods, picking up and biting a slice of pepperoni lightly so he can carry it with his mouth. He grabs a napkin and picks up a slice of meat pizza to bring over to Jongdae.

“Thanks, Baek,” Jongdae says, accepting the slice.

“Mmm,” Baekhyun replies, chewing on his own slice, “What have y’all been up to this morning?”

“We’ve been studying,” Jongdae tells him, taking a bite.

“Nini, I think if you make a couple of slight edits, then it’ll be ready to submit,” Chanyeol says, letting go of Jongin’s hand and passing the laptop back.

“Thanks, hyung,” Jongin says, looking over the comments.

~

Sehun and Jongin wind up leaving after another hour of studying. Sehun hugs Jongdae tightly, thanking him for letting them hang out in his room. Jongin thanks Jongdae too before giving a hug Chanyeol, thanking him for the pizza and for the help with his essay. Chanyeol tells him not to worry about it.

After they’re gone, Jongdae puts his books away too, claiming he’s had enough studying for the day.

“Yeol, I need video games,” Baekhyun says, poking Chanyeol’s cheek.

Jongdae comes up behind Baekhyun, giving him a back hug and whispering he wants something right now. Baekhyun blushes and amends his earlier statement, “Raincheck on the video games, Yeol.”

“And on that note, I’m gonna head out too,” Chanyeol says, heading for the door.

“Bye, Channie,” Jongdae says, already kissing a spot on Baekhyun’s neck.

“Bye,” he calls back, letting the door close with a soft _click_.

Jongdae bites and starts sucking a bruise, pulling a soft moan from Baekhyun. He slides his hands down, letting his thumbs hook on the waistband of Baekhyun’s jeans.

“Someone’s in a mood,” Baekhyun says, but his voice is strained.

Jongdae kisses the red bruise he’s made, then says “I missed you, Baekkie” in an innocent tone. One of his hands is sliding up Baekhyun’s torso, letting his nails drag lightly across the skin.

“ _Fuck_ , you can’t just call me that, Dae,” Baekhyun says with a _shiver_.

“How come, Baekkie?” he asks, tweaking a nipple.

Baekhyun groans and turns around in the hug, pulling Jongdae into a rough kiss.

“Get on the bed for me, Dae,” Baekhyun whispers.

 

* * *

 

**Beagle Line ◖⚆ᴥ⚆◗**

6:51p

pcy: if y’all are done making out  
bbh: we’re taking a break  
kjd: yea what’s up, channie?  
pcy: nini wants to go shopping with me tomorrow  
kjd: for what?  
bbh: y’all are picking out engagement rings already  
pcy: dae touch your hand recently, baekkie?  
bbh: #endkinkshaming2k17  
pcy: so you’re admitting you have a hand kink?

_bbh sent an image_

__

bbh: so what does jongin want to shop for?  
pcy: idk he just asked if i wanted to go shopping with him  
kjd: he probably wants to hang out with you, but feels like he needs a reason  
pcy: ???  
kjd: chan-chan  
kjd: nini  
kjd: has a crush on you  
pcy: he does?  
bbh: okay haven’t we literally established this  
bbh: like yeol  
bbh: the boy got flowers from you  
bbh: and still freezes up when y’all touch too much  
pcy: i figured he was shy with everyone  
kjd: ????  
kjd: channie, no  
kjd: he only blushes like that with you

_pcy sent an image_

__

kjd: wait… (¬ω¬)  
kjd: baek, isn’t this how chan-chan acted with that one guy last semester?  
bbh: yea… he gets dumb when he’s got a crush  
pcy: hey!  
bbh: it’s true!  
bbh: we tell you someone likes you  
kjd: you don’t believe us  
bbh: then a few weeks later  
bbh: you make us tell you again that someone likes you  
kjd: yea, but only if you start liking that person back  
pcy: i just like the confirmation, okay?  
kjd: so you do have a crush?  
pcy: i think i might possibly be somewhat starting to kind of have a crush  
bbh: that was excessive even by my standards

_kjd sent an image_

__

kjd: if you like him, you should go for it, chan-chan  
pcy: (⁄ ⁄^⁄ᗨ⁄^⁄ ⁄)  
pcy: maybe

_bbh sent an image_

__

pcy: remember when you took three years to work up the nerve to ask dae out?  
bbh: ( ꒪Д꒪)ノ  
bbh: i can ExPLAin  
kjd: you’ve liked me since freshman year? (*°ω°*)  
bbh: … according to certain accounts…  
pcy: dae, didn’t you know this??  
kjd: (*´ω｀*)  
kjd: i don’t ever really know when someone likes me  
bbh: so when i told you i had a crush on you this semester…  
bbh: … you thought i meant i just started having one?  
kjd: … yes…

_pcy sent an image_

__

_bbh sent an image_

__

_kjd sent an image_

__

 

* * *

 

**Baek ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ**

7:29p

bbh: dae  
kjd: (´•ω•̥`)  
kjd: i’m sorry  
bbh: why are you apologizing?  
kjd: i should’ve known sooner  
kjd: or i guess should’ve admitted it to myself sooner  
bbh: ???  
bbh: what do you mean?  
kjd: i mean i knew you had a crush on me before that  
kjd: i didn’t think since freshman year  
kjd: but still  
bbh: why were you so surprised when i told you this semester then?  
kjd: i just…  
kjd: couldn’t figure out why  
kjd: so i didn’t really think of it  
kjd: then when you told me…  
kjd: idk i panicked  
bbh: dae you told me to stop joking  
kjd: ●﹏●  
kjd: i know  
kjd: i thought you were!  
bbh: i know  
bbh: you kept biting your lip  
kjd: ?  
bbh: it’s one of your nervous habits  
kjd: … oh  
kjd: i don’t think i said before  
kjd: but i’ve had a crush on you since sophomore year  
bbh: ?????? you HAVE????11?????1

_bbh sent an image_

__

kjd: was i that subtle????  
bbh: yes  
bbh: even yeol didn’t think you liked me like that  
kjd: ah i thought i was obvious (´•ω•̥`)  
bbh: okay i’m calling it  
bbh: all of us are dumb with crushes

 

* * *

 

**Beagle Line ◖⚆ᴥ⚆◗**

7:47p

bbh: okay yeol we’re back  
kjd: sorry about that chan-chan  
pcy: y’all figure things out?  
kjd: yea  
bbh: crushes are weird  
kjd: really weird  
pcy: so you both think i should ask him on a date?

_bbh sent an image_

__

_kjd sent an image_

__

pcy: okay ~  
pcy: after finals though  
kjd: okay channie ♡  
bbh: oh fuck isn’t that next week  
pcy: yep  
bbh: okay we need to study for this astronomy final  
bbh: and yeol don’t say a damn thing about extremophiles  
pcy: I THOUGHT THEY WOULD BE ON THE MIDTERM  
kjd: tomorrow in my room?  
bbh: nah i gotta actually focus  
pcy: yea dae you get touchy in your room  
kjd: ≧ω≦  
kjd: i just like playing ~  
pcy: which is fine…  
pcy: just not when we need to focus  
bbh: yea dae you don’t realize how easily you wreck our concentration with that  
pcy: like when you play in our hair  
bbh: or nuzzle us  
pcy: or kiss us  
bbh: or sit in our laps  
pcy: or bite us  
bbh: or rub our thighs  
kjd: okay!  
kjd: library it is  
kjd: (⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)⁄  
pcy: you’re too cute dae  
bbh: so cute  
kjd: stop calling me cute ~  
bbh: cute  
pcy: cutie  
kjd: whatever  
kjd: so studying at 11a?  
pcy: i’ll bring the coffee ~  
bbh: i’ll bring the bagels ~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More Clarifications and Facts No One Asked For
> 
> 1\. **Why Baekhyun Denies Kissing Jongdae** : Of the two of them, Baekhyun feels really nervous about PDA and doesn't like the idea of someone seeing them kiss. It feels too private to Baekhyun, so he denies that it happens when it gets pointed out. Jongdae, however, doesn't care at all about PDA and likes how flustered Baekhyun gets about kissing him in risky situations (i.e. when someone could catch them).  
> 2\. **Why Sehun Is Always Whispering to Jongdae** : Last semester, Jongdae accidentally told Sehun that he has a thing for dirty talk when they were walking together after art class. (Don't ask me how that came up in conversation, it just did.) Sehun, being the charismatic flirt he is, takes it upon himself to whisper dirty things to Jongdae whenever he gets the chance. The fact that what he says makes Jongdae giggle and blush only causes him to do it more.  
> 3\. **Why This Is a Series Now** : There are fun scenes (read: explicit scenes) I want to write, but I've decided this fic is better if left with a "Mature" rating. So go check out "Drabbles from 'The Misadventures of the Beagle Line'" (Part 2 of this series) if you want to read random, sexy scenes. Some of them are real, some of them are not.


	12. that’s super kinky -bbh

**Beagle Line ◖⚆ᴥ⚆◗**

10:31a

pcy: who’s ready to study? (≡^∇^≡)  
bbh: i’m pumped (ര̀ᴗര́)و   
kjd: i’m ready ヾ(｡･ω･｡)  
bbh: oh shit  
bbh: pull out the video recorders folks  
bbh: this is a rare sight of kim jongdae being friendly in the morning  
bbh: rumors have it that this is actually the first horseman of the apocalypse  
bbh: others say that this means someone’s about to die  


_ kjd sent an image _

_ _

pcy: dae you already got coffee?  
kjd: i randomly woke up at like 7a ~  
pcy: ah i hate it when that happens  
bbh: poor baby boy  
kjd: don’t call me that  
pcy: it’s a bit much baekkie  
bbh: #endkinkshaming2k17  
pcy: i knew that was a kink  
bbh: so anyways  
bbh: dae you’re in timeout for the study session  
kjd: ??????  
pcy: a no touching timeout  
bbh: yea finals make you super touchy  
kjd: they do not!  
pcy: you gave me and baekkie like 20 hickies last finals week  
kjd: (*°ω°*)  


_ bbh sent an image _

_ _

kjd: … so the timeout is only while we’re studying?  
bbh: yeol?  
pcy: yea, we don’t want to break him  
bbh: true ~  


 

* * *

 

Jongdae sighs and stuffs his phone in his backpack. It’s not his fault. Touching helps him concentrate. The only other thing that helps is having something in his mouth. He searches around under his bed and finds his bag of Butterscotch Dum Dums. It’s only half full, but it’s enough. He packs it in his bag and heads out.

Chanyeol and Baekhyun are downstairs in the lobby and, as promised, they have coffee and bagels. Jongdae tosses the iced coffee he had been drinking in a nearby trash can and joins them.

“Hey, Channie. Hey, Baek,” he says, graciously accepting the new iced coffee Chanyeol hands him.

“How many cups have you had today?” Baekhyun teases.

Jongdae moves to slap him on the shoulder when Baekhyun clicks his tongue, reminding him of his timeout. Jongdae is about to argue when Chanyeol nods his head in agreement.

“Let’s just go,” he says with a huff.

~

The library is full of students pouring over books and notes. People are working on group projects and writing elaborate equations on whiteboards. The book return carts are all full and messy with abandoned books. There’s a loud buzz that can’t be silenced by even the strictest of librarians.

Chanyeol leads them to the main staircase, explaining that he booked a study room on the second floor. Baekhyun pats Chanyeol on the back, commending him for thinking ahead. Jongdae nods his head in agreement, tossing his cup when they exit the stairwell.

“Damn, Dae, you drink coffee li-”

“Shut up, Baek,” Jongdae says, cutting him off.

“This is the room, y’all,” Chanyeol says, opening the door to a room.

It’s a simple room with a whiteboard and a rectangular wooden table. There’s a TV screen mounted on the wall for presentations. Jongdae sits down at the end of the table and Baekhyun and Chanyeol sit a seat away from him.

“Y’all, you’re being silly. Why are you sitting so far?” he pouts.

“It’s for your own good, Dae,” Chanyeol says, looking sympathetic.

“Yeah, you know you like playing footsie too much,” Baekhyun says, pulling out his laptop.

“Fine. What are we starting with first?” Jongdae asks, pulling out his notes and textbook.

“Let’s start with the material from after the midterm, then work our way up to the stuff we started learning this week,” Chanyeol says, flipping through his notebook.

~

They’re twenty minutes into quizzing each other on moons of the outer planets. Baekhyun is by the whiteboard, writing down anything they get stuck on. So far they’ll need to review Ganymede, orbital period ratios, and how resonance works.

“Okay, Dae, tell me about Saturn’s moon,” Chanyeol says, looking up from the printout of the lecture.

“It’s called Titan… Ah, hold on,” he says. He reaches in his bag and pulls out one of the dum dums, popping it in his mouth before resuming, “So Titan is the second biggest moon in the system. It has an atmosphere that’s 90% nitrogen and 10% methane due to its cold temperature. It’s about 100 K, I think?”

“93 K, but yeah, essentially,” Chanyeol clarifies, focused on the section about Titan, “Anything else?”

“Um…” Jongdae pulls the lollipop from his mouth and licks it idly before putting it back in his mouth, “The temperature and atmospheric pressure are high enough that there could be liquid methane, but there isn’t definitive proof yet.”

“Yes,” says Chanyeol, looking up, “Uh, Baekkie, you’re next.”

“Hit me with your best shot, Yeol,” Baekhyun says, looking confident despite fumbling his last two questions.

“You’ve got Uranus - Baekkie, please, it’s just a name - and Neptune.”

“The biggest moons for Uranus are Oberon and Titania, but I can’t remember Neptune’s. It starts with a ‘T’ I think,” Baekhyun replies, eyebrows scrunched as he tries to remember.

“Ah, I remember!” Jongdae pipes up, moving the lollipop to rest against the inside of his cheek, “Isn’t it Triton, Chan-chan?”

Chanyeol stares at the way lollipop distorts Jongdae’s cheeks for a moment before answering, “Uh, yes. That’s right. Baekkie, add Triton to the board.”

Jongdae twirls the lollipop in his mouth, then pulls it out and tells Chanyeol he’s next. Chanyeol nods, seeming slightly distracted.

“Tell us about Ganymede,” Jongdae says, biting the rest of the lollipop and throwing the stick away in a nearby trash can.

“Ganymede, right,” Chanyeol starts, sounding more focused than before, “It’s the largest moon in our solar system and is part of the Galilean moons. It orbits around Jupiter once every 7.15 days.”

Jongdae starts sucking on another lollipop, then pulls it out to ask Chanyeol, “And why does the orbital period matter?”

“Jesus, Dae, are you trying to kill, Yeol?” Baekhyun asks, staring at how Jongdae’s lips seem pinker than before.

“What?” Jongdae asks, popping the lollipop back in his mouth, “It’s not a difficult follow up question.”

“Dae, it’s the lollipop,” Chanyeol says, rubbing his temples and looking down, “And the orbital period matters because it’s a reason why there might be life on Ganymede.”

“It helps me concentrate,” Jongdae replies indignantly, blushing slightly, “And that’s correct, Channie.”

Chanyeol groans in exasperation, letting his head hit the desk and saying “Baekkie, is this really any better?”

Baekhyun stares at the way Jongdae is playing with his lollipop before shaking his head to focus. The sounds from the lollipop aren’t loud per se, but they’re distracting enough.

“I don’t know, Yeol,” Baekhyun says slowly, “I forgot about Dae’s oral fixation.”

Jongdae pulls the lollipop from his mouth with a  _ pop _ and exclaims “It’s not an oral fixation! I just think better with something in my mouth.”

“Dae, that’s an oral fixation. And the way you said that was dirty,” Chanyeol says wearily, head still on the table.

“Power through it, Yeol. We can’t be intimidated by a lollipop,” Baekhyun encourages, coming over to pat Chanyeol on the shoulder.

“You’re right, Baekkie,” Chanyeol says, sitting up yet avoiding looking at Jongdae, “It’s just candy.”

~

They last for another hour, quickly covering most of the material. Jongdae’s gone through about fifteen lollipops.

“Okay, I can’t take this anymore,” Chanyeol says.

“Ditto,” Baekhyun replies, “Dae, please take the lollipop out of your mouth.”

“Yeah, Dae, touch us however you want, just enough with the lollipops,” Chanyeol says, sounding defeated.

Jongdae tosses the lollipop, looking sheepish about having caused this much distress with only candy. Baekhyun and Chanyeol breathe a sigh of relief.

“Okay, Dae,” Chanyeol starts again, flipping to the back of his notebook, “Tell us about the ‘grandfather paradox’.”

“It’s the idea that if you travel back in time and meet your grandfather when he’s young, then…” Jongdae starts, but then gets stuck. He shifts around in his seat a little, then tries to continue, “Then you kill your grandfather when he’s young, which is problematic because that means he can’t meet your grandmother…”

“Dae,” Chanyeol says, getting his attention and patting his thighs with a sigh.

Jongdae flushes, but walks over to sit in Chanyeol’s lap, putting his arms around his neck for balance. “So because of that,” he continues, “your grandparents wouldn’t be able to have your father, so you weren’t born, but you had to have been born in order to go back in time to kill your grandfather and so on and so on.”

~

It’s around 1p when they decide to stop. Chanyeol taps Jongdae’s waist for him to stop playing in his hair and to get off his lap. Jongdae kisses his cheek and gets up to put his books away. Chanyeol reaches into his back pocket to pull out his wallet and hands Baekhyun $15.

“What was that for, Chan-chan?” Jongdae asks, seeing Baekhyun fist pump the air.

“Don’t worry abo-”

“Me and Yeol made a bet on if you’d make it through timeout,” Baekhyun interrupts.

“Of course,” Jongdae says, sighing, “What did you bet Channie?”

“I thought you could make it, Dae,” Chanyeol replies with a guilty shrug.

“I thought my timeout was over after the lollipop?” Jongdae asks, perplexed.

“Okay, we cannot mention that incident ever again,” Baekhyun states.

“Yeah, that was like an hour of torture,” Chanyeol agrees.

“And anyways,” Baekhyun continues, “your timeout  _ was _ over, but we had a back-up bet about how long it’d take for you to touch one of us once your timeout ended.”

“Yeah, I said half an hour,” Chanyeol  says, rubbing the back of his neck.

“What did you bet, Baek?” Jongdae asks.

“Less than ten minutes,” Baekhyun says with a smirk.

“Fuck you,” Jongdae says, crossing his arms.

 

* * *

 

**Beagle Line ◖⚆ᴥ⚆◗**

8:02p

pcy: so nini kissed me  


_ kjd sent an image _

_ _

bbh: damn, dae, jongin’s moving in on your man  
kjd: why is that joke still funny to you if we’re dating?  
bbh: wE’Re DaTiNG?????  
kjd: we’re not?????  
bbh: no, no, we def are  
bbh: let’s not be confused about this  
bbh: i’m just adjusting still  
pcy: hey!  
pcy: can you two gays calm down  
bbh: right  
kjd: go ahead chan-chan  
pcy: thank you  
pcy: so technically it was a kiss on the cheek  
pcy: and technically it might have been an accident  
kjd: ??  
bbh: how do you accidentally kiss someone on the cheek?  
pcy: well after we got froyo, we hugged to say goodbye…  
bbh: okay…  
pcy: and then he kissed me on the cheek  
bbh: wait…  
bbh: THAT’S NOT A FUCKING ACCIDENT  
kjd: yea channie wtf  
kjd: he did it on purpose…  
bbh: like where in the name of fuck  
bbh: do you get your definition of accident from  
bbh: because have i got news for you  


_ pcy sent an image _

_ _

kjd: so basically you thought it was an accident  
kjd: because you’re in shock  
pcy: (*´∀`*)  
bbh: yeol what happened after that???  
pcy: well he was blushing a lot  
pcy: and i was blushing a lot  
pcy: then i said we should hang out again soon and walked off  
kjd: channie… we all live in the same dorm  
bbh: yea bro did you just walk somewhere random?  


_ pcy sent an image _

_ _

bbh: how is your game this weak??????  
pcy: idk! i was flustered!  
kjd: ???? by a kiss on the cheek?????  
pcy: …  
bbh: throwback to last night when yeol was talking big shit about asking out jongin  
pcy: that never happened???? i literally said i would ask him after finals week???? after y’all convinced me to not chicken out?????????  
kjd: yea baek you can’t bullshit events that we witnessed  
bbh: regardless  
bbh: my point stands  
pcy: let me live my life  
kjd: okay channie but you might wanna reassure nini sooner rather than later  
pcy: reassure how?  
bbh: stick your tongue down his throat  
kjd: ignore him  
kjd: just something that lets him know he’s not the only one with a crush  
bbh: like you did wi-  


_ kjd sent an image _

_ _

bbh: how did you cut me off????  
bbh: this is text?????  
bbh: and the second time you’ve shown this sort of witchcraft??????/  
pcy: idk baekkie maybe we need to open our eyes to the truth  
pcy: 工ｴｴｪｪ(;╹⌓╹)ｪｪｴｴ工  
bbh: dae’s a sorcerer  
pcy: could be  
bbh: that explains his need for coffee  
kjd: that doesn’t make sense even if i was a sorcerer????  
kjd: which i’m not by the way  
pcy: this could be why he has to touch so much  
pcy: he’s gathering energy  
bbh: you’re onto something yeol…  
kjd: please stop  
kjd: and i really don’t touch that much  
bbh: less than ten minutes  
bbh: and you were in yeol’s lap  
kjd: … i like how small he makes me feel…   
bbh: that’s super kinky  
pcy: yea i’m honestly turned on by that sentence alone  
bbh: oh so you do have a size kink, yeol?  
pcy: #endkinkshaming2k17  
kjd: anyways  
kjd: we should go on a ferry ride next saturday  
bbh: after the most hellish week of our lives????  
pcy: it’s just finals week baekkie  
bbh: not all of us have 3.8 GPAs!!!  
pcy: you have a 3.7 GPA?????  
bbh: still  
pcy: a ferry ride would be fun dae ~  
kjd: yeah you can bring your boys too ~  
pcy: they’re NOT my boys  
bbh: okay so sehun played footsie last time you went to dinner  
kjd: a dinner he wanted to be between you, him, and nini  
bbh: and we just established that nini kissed you on the cheek  
kjd: can’t forget the flowers  
pcy: you may have a point…   
pcy: okay i’ll invite them  
kjd: yay ~  
bbh: now that that’s been decided  
bbh: are we going to tomorrow’s review session?  
kjd: i’d rather have breakfast at the diner  
pcy: ditto  
pcy: but baekkie weren’t you just panicking over finals????  
bbh: i can multi-task  
bbh: besides that TA grinds my gears  
pcy: because of that one time she marked a question half right?  
bbh: I DESERVED ALL OF THOSE POINTS AND SHE KNEW IT  
kjd: chill baek  
kjd: okay so meet at the diner at 8a?  
pcy: isn’t that too early for you, dae?  
kjd: i’ll be fine ~  
bbh: oh no i’m not risking my life for an 8a breakfast  
bbh: let’s just skip the whole day and have breakfast at 11a  
pcy: yea i gotta side with baekkie on this, dae  
kjd: fine ( *’ω’* )  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The lecture notes they were reviewing were these: [moons of the outer planets](https://www.astro.umd.edu/~miller/teaching/astr380f09/lecture26.pdf) and[relativity & time travel](https://www.astro.umd.edu/~miller/teaching/astr380f09/lecture26.pdf).


	13. this is how i die -pcy

**Nini ♥**

7:22a

kji: hey, hyung, i know it’s really early, but hunnie is hogging the shower and i really don’t want to be late to this 8:30a appointment i have, so could i use yours? ʕ´•ᴥ•`ʔ  
pcy: hey, nini, sure thing  
kji: thank you!

 

* * *

 

Chanyeol stares at his phone for a moment and processes what just happened. _Nini… Showering… My room…_ Why did he agree to this? Also, isn’t this a somewhat flimsy excuse to shower in his room? Aren’t there communal showers in this dorm? He sends a quick text to Baekhyun.

 

* * *

 

 **Baekkie** ♡

7:26a

pcy: baekkie are you up?  
bbh: unfortunately  
bbh: been so used to that damn 8a astronomy class  
bbh: why? what’s up?  
pcy: okay so if someone hypothetically asks to use your shower because hypothetically their roommate is hogging the shower and hypothetically speaking they have an appointment they don’t want to be late for…  
bbh: you mean jongin asked to use your shower because supposedly sehun is hogging their shower  
pcy: … yes  
pcy: why did you say supposedly?  
bbh: because if sehun were in the shower, he’d probably try to convince sehun to get out of the shower before showering in someone else’s room  
pcy: so you’re saying it’s a ruse

_bbh sent an image_

* * *

 

There’s a _knock_ at his door, followed by “Hyung, it’s me.” Chanyeol drops his phone on the bed and goes over to unlock the door. Jongin is in a light pink bathrobe, holding his shower caddy. Chanyeol is dumbstruck for a moment because Jongin looks so _cute_ in his fluffy bathrobe. Jongin blushes at the attention and asks if he can come in. Chanyeol remembers himself and moves to the side, telling him “Yes, sorry. Come in.”

Jongin shuffles inside and goes to the bathroom. A couple moments later and there’s the sound of water _pitter-pattering_ against shower tiles. Chanyeol settles on the bed, picking up his phone again.

 

* * *

 

 **Baekkie** ♡

7:37a

pcy: this is too much for me  
bbh: what? was he naked?  
pcy: wtf no why are you like this  
pcy: he was in a bathrobe  
bbh: color?  
pcy: pink  
bbh: oh damn like blush red or coral pink?  
pcy: uhhhh…

_bbh sent 2 images_

__

__

pcy: i guess a mixture of the rose pink and blush red?  
pcy: why do you have these???  
bbh: no reason you should concern yourself with  
bbh: anyways that’s lethal shit  
pcy: isn’t it????  
pcy: i just want to give him a hug ~  
bbh: haha sure yeol ‘a hug’  
pcy: baekkie please calm down

 

* * *

 

Jongin comes out of the bathroom, drying his hair with a small towel. He taps Chanyeol on the shoulder and says “Hyung” to get his attention. Chanyeol startles and drops his phone on the bed. Jongin cocks his head to the side, not understanding how he could have scared Chanyeol so easily.

“Are you okay, hyung?” Jongin asks, his hand still resting on Chanyeol’s shoulder.

“Yeah, sorry. I was distracted,” Chanyeol says in a rush, trying to ignore a water droplet that falls toward Jongin’s clavicle, “What did you need?”

“Ah, I was wondering if I could use your blow dryer.”

Chanyeol nods nervously and tells him that his blow dryer is under the sink. Jongin thanks him and disappears into the bathroom again.

 

* * *

 

 **Baekkie** ♡

7:50a

pcy: this is how i die  
bbh: what happened now?  
pcy: he asked to use my blow dryer  
bbh: eheheheh, yea he did  
pcy: that’s not even sexual???  
bbh: how did he ask?  
pcy: he tapped me on the shoulder and was leaned over  
pcy: he was still kind of wet  
bbh: were there droplets  
pcy: … yes…  
bbh: ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)  
bbh: that’s hot  
pcy: i question your sexuality daily baekkie  
bbh: oh so you’re saying you didn’t look at like his neck or something  
pcy: collar bone  
bbh: i rest my case  
pcy: this is like when we first met dae  
bbh: you mean how he’d only have a towel around his waist after a shower?  
pcy: yea and he’d get distracted and not get dressed until like a half hour later

_bbh sent an image_

  __

* * *

 

Jongin resurfaces, shower caddy in tow and hair styled. Chanyeol does _not_ startle this time.

“Thanks for letting me use your shower, hyung,” Jongin says with a smile.

“Don’t mention it, Nini,” Chanyeol says, walking Jongin towards the door, “I hope the appointment goes well.”

“What appointment?” Jongin asks, then realizes his mistake and rushes out, yelling, “Bye, hyung!”

Chanyeol closes the door and lets the events that just happened sink in. _What appointment? He said, what appointment._ He slowly walks over to his bed, still shaking his head in disbelief.

 

* * *

 

 **Baekkie** ♡

8:14a

pcy: baekkie  
pcy: you were right  
pcy: he said what appointment  
bbh: lol after you said good luck or something right?  
pcy: yes  
pcy: why would he make up an appointment just to shower here?  
bbh: to get to you  
bbh: his roommate is sehun  
bbh: it’s probably one of his tricks  
pcy: but he just showered  
pcy: he even used my blow dryer  
bbh: did it throw you off  
pcy: yes  
bbh: i rest my case

 

* * *

 

**Nini ♥**

8:19a

pcy: hey, nini, why did you shower in my room this morning?  
kji: ʕ•̠͡•ʔ  
kji: … sehun was hogging the shower, hyung… and i have my 8:30a appointment  
pcy: (・_・ヾ but when i said i hope the appointment goes well, you asked what appointment  
kji: ah because it’s not really an appointment…  
pcy: ? but you said it was?  
kji: i know… i do have something at 8:30a, but it’s not technically an appointment ʕ⁎̯͡⁎ʔ༄  
pcy: what is it?  
kji: my parents want to have breakfast with me  
kji: they’re kind of strict, my dad used to be in the air force  
kji: so when they say 8:30a… they mean it  
pcy: i feel like you’re not excited about this…  
kji: not really, but i have to go, hyung  
pcy: okay, nini, feel free to come by later if you want to talk  
_[_ **_Read_ ** _8:24a]_

 

* * *

 

 **Baekkie** ♡

8:25a

pcy: baekkie he really did have an appointment  
bbh: sure he did

_bbh sent an image_

__

pcy: no really  
pcy: when he explained it made sense  
bbh: and that explanation was… ?  
pcy: not telling  
pcy: it sounded private  
bbh: you and your damn privacy  
bbh: it’s cute ~  
bbh: hey yeol…  
bbh: could i please come over? i need to play killing floor 2  
pcy: need?  
pcy: anyways yea  
pcy: i’m surprised you don’t just pop up since you have a key  
bbh: oh i lost that about three days ago  
pcy: SO ANYONE CAN JUST WANDER INTO MY ROOM????  
bbh: chill yeollie  
bbh: they’d have to try almost every lock in the dorm  
pcy: please don’t tell me you made another copy  
bbh: no y’all seemed so upset about the first one  
pcy: just come on  
bbh: (*^▽^*)

 

* * *

 

Chanyeol puts his phone on the nightstand and gets up to turn on the TV and PS4. Baekhyun _knocks_ on his door before he can click on Killing Floor 2.

“Hey, Yeollie,” Baekhyun says with a smile, but he’s out of breath.

“Did you run up here?”

“Maybe.”

Chanyeol shakes his head and tells him the system is already on. Baekhyun grins and pats him on the back, then snags the controller and settles on the bed. Chanyeol grabs his sketchbook from under the bed and lays back to sketch.

“Still working on your rose, Yeol?” Baekhyun asks, selecting the Farmhouse map.

“Yeah, I like the sketch lines, but it’s not quite _there_ yet,” Chanyeol replies, getting his pens from the drawer of his nightstand.

“You’ll get it. I think what helped you last time you were working on a design was changing the pen type,” Baekhyun says. The screen warns “Wave Incoming”.

Chanyeol looks over the previous sketches and realizes that he’s been using a 0.8 mm pen for most of these. _Maybe if I try a 0.5 mm pen…_ He mumbles a thanks to Baekhyun who nods his head, then starts his usual game yelling.

~

“Ah, I can’t play this anymore,” Baekhyun groans in frustration, exiting out of the game, “Did you figure out your rose, Yeol?”

“Not yet, but I think I’m closer. Can you tell me which one you like best?” he says, handing his sketchbook to Baekhyun.

Baekhyun studies the three different versions on the page, running his hands over the outline of one and murmuring “Jeez, Yeol, these are really good.”

Chanyeol starts saying they’re _okay_ and Baekhyun hushes him, telling him to take the compliment. After a couple more moments, he picks the second rose, which uses two different line weights. Chanyeol takes the sketchbook back and looks at the second rose. It’s actually his favorite too.

“So, Yeol,” Baekhyun says, clasping his hands in his lap, “What’s the deal with Jongin? And don’t ask what I mean — you already know what I’m talking about.”

“I really don’t know, Baekkie,” Chanyeol says with a sigh, closing his sketchbook, “I don’t know how to explain it. There’s just something about him that pulls me in.”

Baekhyun gestures for him to elaborate.

“I can tell that he’s been through a lot, but he takes his experiences and turn them into something. It’s not just dance. The essay he let me read — he’s got real a knack for writing. It’s a type of creativity that I really admire.”

“So it’s an art crush?”

“No, like I said, I can’t explain it too well. There’s a mystery about him that is and isn’t there.”

“You’re talking in paradoxes, Yeol.”

“I know. I don’t know. I like him. I’m still getting to know him, but I like him,” Chanyeol says, not adding anything else.

Baekhyun studies him for a moment and shrugs, asking “Do you want to play some-”

A _knock_ cuts him off and Baekhyun looks at Chanyeol confused. Chanyeol shrugs, not sure who it could be either. When he answers it, it turns out to be Jongin. He looks distressed and doesn’t meet Chanyeol’s eyes when he asks if now is an okay time to talk. Chanyeol looks back at Baekhyun and Baekhyun just nods, getting up to leave.

“I’ll see you at breakfast, Yeol,” he says on his way out.

Jongin frets about Baekhyun’s abrupt departure, trying to tell Chanyeol he can go, he doesn’t have to stay, he doesn’t want to be a burden.

“Nini, it’s okay,” Chanyeol says, touching his arm lightly, “Come in.”

Jongin still looks uneasy, but comes in, closing the door behind him. Chanyeol goes over to his bed, patting the space next to him. Jongin sits down, but his posture is tense.

“Nini,” Chanyeol says softly, trying to relax him, “What would you like to talk about?”

“I-I’m sorry, hyung. Normally, I’d talk to Sehun about this sort of thing, but he’s at this review session and I really,” Jongin takes a breath, trying to relax, “I just really need to talk.”

“I don’t mind, Nini,” Chanyeol says, trying to meet Jongin’s eyes, but he won’t look at him.

“Okay. It’s, well, remember how I said I was supposed to have breakfast with my parents this morning? Well, I did. But it’s been so long since I’ve seen them, I forgot how much they… They’re a lot. They don’t like that I major in dance. It’s always what they want to talk about first. They want to know why I’d choose such a useless major and why I’m throwing my life away,” Jongin’s breathing is shakier now, “And it’s the same questions every time. Don’t I love them? Why can’t I be a better son to them? Why don’t I have a girlfriend? Why am I spending all my time with Sehun? Why can’t I major in something that matters? Why do I keep hurting them like this?”

A few tears stream down his face and he wipes them away before continuing, “They just make me feel so small. Nothing I do pleases them. They don’t care that I made the Dean’s List last semester because I’m still in such a wasteful major… You know, this was the first time I’ve seen them since enrolling here? I don’t know why I felt hopeful. I thought maybe… Maybe they would accept me. That maybe we could have one conversation that didn’t criticize everything I do.”

“Nini, I… I wish they would realize how much they’re hurting you,” Chanyeol says, not sure how to respond. He’s not sure what’s helpful and what’s not right now.

“Me too, hyung,” Jongin says quietly, leaning on Chanyeol’s shoulder. Chanyeol presses a small kiss to the top of Jongin’s head without thinking and Jongin tenses.

“Nini, I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking,” Chanyeol rushes.

“It’s okay, hyung,” Jongin says, relaxing against Chanyeol again, “I just didn’t expect it.”

“I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” Chanyeol says, still feeling guilty.

Jongin kisses Chanyeol’s shoulder, whispering, “It really is okay, hyung.”

“Okay, Nini,” Chanyeol says, then softly asks, “Is it… Is it okay for me to hug you?”

Jongin giggles against his shoulder at the polite request, telling him, yes, it’s fine. Chanyeol gingerly pulls Jongin for a hug, grateful to see a smile on his face again.

They stay like that for a moment until Chanyeol’s phone _dings_ , startling them apart. Chanyeol apologizes, checking his phone to see who it is.

 

* * *

 

 **Baekkie** ♡

10:52a

bbh: hey yeol i’m not sure if you’re with jongin still, but dae wanted to know if we should do breakfast another time?  
pcy: yea, i don’t want him alone right now  
pcy: raincheck?  
bbh: yea, i’ll let dae know. i hope jongin’s okay  
pcy: i think he will be  
pcy: thanks, baekkie  
bbh: no problem, yeol

 

* * *

 

“Do you have to go, hyung?” Jongin asks, sounding disheartened.

“No,” Chanyeol says, silencing his phone, “You’re my only concern right now.”

“It’s okay, hyung. You don’t have to stay on account of me. I shouldn’t keep you so long,” Jongin says quickly, looking down.

“Nini,” Chanyeol says, lightly touching Jongin’s hand, “If you want to go, that’s okay. But if you want to stay with me, then I want you to stay too.”

“Really?” Jongin says softly, looking at their hands.

“Yes,” Chanyeol replies, trying to make sure Jongin understands that it’s okay for him to be here right now, that he’s not being burdensome.

“Okay…” Jongin says, flexing his hand so that their fingers are interlaced. After a moment, he asks, “Hyung?”

“Mmm?”

“Why did you walk off yesterday?”

“Ah, that… I— I panicked.”

“Because I kissed you on the cheek?” Jongin asks, looking at Chanyeol.

“Yes…” Chanyeol says, hesitantly.

“Should I… Not do that again?”

“No, I just get nervous around you sometimes,” Chanyeol explains, rubbing circles with his thumb.

“But why?” Jongin asks, seeming apprehensive.

“Because I have a crush on you, Nini,” Chanyeol says sincerely. Jongin turns his hand over so that they’re holding hands properly, whispering “I do too, hyung.” Chanyeol kisses Jongin on the cheek and squeezes his hand.

Jongin shifts so that he’s facing Chanyeol. He touches his jaw softly, leaning in and asking, “Can I?” Chanyeol cups his chin, asking “Are you sure?”

Jongin nods and Chanyeol kisses him softly, like he’s savoring the experience. When he pulls away, he’s still cupping Jongin’s chin, their foreheads resting against each other. Jongin moves his hand from Chanyeol’s jaw to the nape of his neck and pulls him in for another kiss, slower and deeper than before. He nips at Chanyeol’s bottom lip and Chanyeol breaks the kiss, squeezing Jongin’s hand.

“Did I do something wrong, hyung?” Jongin asks, out of breath.

“No,” Chanyeol says with a shaky exhale, “I just… I’m… _Sensitive_ to bites.”

Jongin tilts his head, thinking about the word choice for a moment before replying with a soft “Oh.”

“So… don’t bite?” Jongin asks slowly, trying to correct the situation.

“You can, but not… Not today. It would… Put me in the wrong mindset,” Chanyeol says, choosing his words carefully.

“You’re that sensitive, hyung?” Jongin asks, eyes trailing Chanyeol’s neck.

Chanyeol nods, trying to ignore the way Jongin’s staring at his collarbone. He traces the grooves for a moment, then kisses Chanyeol on his jaw.

“Okay, hyung. A different day,” Jongin says, “Do you want to grab lunch together?”

“Lunch sounds good,” Chanyeol says with a smile.

 

* * *

 

**Nini ♥**

6:12p

pcy: hey, nini, just wanted to check in with you  
pcy: how are you feeling?  
kji: thanks, hyung ʕ´•ᴥ•`ʔ  
kji: i’m okay, thanks for being there for me  
pcy: of course, i’m glad you trusted me  
kji: of course i trust you, hyung  
kji: oh and sehun told me to say thank you from him  
pcy: ♡

 

* * *

 

**Beagle Line ◖⚆ᴥ⚆◗**

6:33p

pcy: hey y’all  
kjd: channie!!  
kjd: i feel like it’s been so long since i’ve seen you

_kjd sent an image_

__

pcy: sorry dae ~  
pcy: i thought baekkie told you i was with nini?  
kjd: no he just said you couldn’t do breakfast  
pcy: ???  
bbh: ＼| ￣ヘ￣|／  
bbh: it seemed private  
pcy: ah i can see that  
pcy: yea, dae, nini wanted to talk and i didn’t want him to be alone  
kjd: is everything okay?  
pcy: i think so, i really just listened  
kjd: i’m glad he was able to come to you, chan-chan  
bbh: yea, you’re really great to talk to, yeol  
pcy: thanks, y’all  
pcy: what did you two do today?  
kjd: wait…  
kjd: i feel like we only got half the story…

_kjd sent an image_

__

pcy: half the story of what?  
bbh: you’re right, dae…  
bbh: yeol’s been mia the whole day…

_bbh sent an image_

__

_pcy sent an image_

__

kjd: you don’t have to tell if you aren’t comfortable, chan-chan  
bbh: yea, if you’re gonna be a little bitch about it  
kjd: ( •̀ω•́ ) shh  
bbh: joking ~  
bbh: you really don’t have to tell, yeol  
bbh: privacy is sexy  
pcy: i suppose?  
pcy: well the other part is that we kissed  
bbh: so you were just going to leave that part out?  
bbh: and the fact that he used your shower this morning?  
kjd: (*°ω°*) he did???  
pcy: ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯  
kjd: who kissed who????  
pcy: i kissed him  
pcy: … then he kissed me  
pcy: then we had lunch and saw a movie  
bbh: dayuuuummmmmm  
bbh: jongin got game  
kjd: retweet  
pcy: (*´∀`*)  
bbh: wait… why didn’t you want to tell us?  
kjd: yea, was something wrong?  
pcy: no… but y’all have a habit of doing this thing…  
bbh: OH SHIT THERE’S A JUICY DETAIL  
bbh: SPILL  
pcy: he might have bit my lip  
bbh: … okay…  
kjd: OMG  
bbh: what?  
kjd: chan-chan is really sensitive to bites ~  
bbh: ????? how do you know that?????  
kjd: ( *’ω’* )  
pcy: (´∀｀)  
kjd: because i do  
bbh: nice try  
kjd: i may have found out last finals week when i kept giving y’all hickies  
bbh: oh shit  
bbh: yeol how sensitive are you to bites?  
kjd: he’s really  
kjd: really  
kjd: really sensitive  
pcy: what dae said  
bbh: but dae gave you hickies every day???  
kjd: i like his neck ~  
bbh: damn we need to investigate this  
pcy: please don’t  
bbh: dae how many bites does it take  
kjd: wrong question  
bbh: DO YOU MEAN TO TELL ME  
pcy: so moving right along  
bbh: wow yeol  
bbh: i’m kind of proud to be honest

_pcy sent an image_

__

bbh: dae, do you have the sudden urge to bite, yeol?  
kjd: … yes…  
bbh: kind of want to give daddy chanyeol love bites all over  
kjd: on his hips ~  
bbh: on his thighs ~  
kjd: on his neck ~  
bbh: on his chest ~

_pcy sent an image_

__

pcy: y’all, please stop  
bbh: okay, daddy  
kjd: okay, daddy  
pcy: dae, please, i’m only human  
bbh: yea, dae, you’re hitting on like three of yeol’s kinks  
bbh: give the man peace  
kjd: i said the same thing you said though??????  
pcy: it’s different with baekkie

_bbh sent an image_

__

kjd: how??????  
bbh: i say weird shit to yeol all the time  
pcy: this is true  
bbh: but it just sounds dirty when you say the same stuff  
pcy: that’s essentially it  
kjd: this sounds like a kink…  
bbh: #endkinkshaming2k17  
pcy: #endkinkshaming2k17

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story ends as thrilling as it started - not at all too thrilling tbh. Fret not! More misadventures will crop up in my "Drabbles from 'The Misadventures of the Beagle Line'" with the potential for summer misadventures. I mean, have you seen Jongdae in a tank top?


End file.
